Bound to You
by lunafrak
Summary: Sequel to Children of the Heartless; Lucinda and Trigger are traveling with Sora when they find themselves the unflattered 'guests' of the inhabitants of Castle Oblivion and meet people long forgotten; whether to the Heart, or memory itself.
1. Always Next to You

It had been hours since the face off with Ansem.

Hours since Riku and King Mickey had been locked within the depths of Kingdom Hearts.

Hours since Lucinda's and Trigger's past had been marred by the man they once looked up to. Ansem, the king that raised them. He'd thrown away everything that they'd had, yet he swore that they never had anything to begin with.

Lucinda walked along the dirt road with Trigger next to her. Her mind was far from calm. In front of her, Sora Donald and Goofy totted along at the front of the pack, looking for signs of Pluto the dog, whom they'd been tracking for hours. It had seemed that the pooch had slipped from their sight yet again as he'd escaped with a letter from the king.

"Man. This road just keeps going." Sora moaned as his arms were folded behind his head. He stared along the path in front of them, watching it wind across the hills and plains. It just seemed to continued onward, only disappearing with the line of the horizon.

Lucinda's face looked blank as she was still sorting through the events of the day; and the past week. She sighed, now feeling the depression of Riku's absence. She wrung her hands together idly as other images plagued her mind. Such as her uncle's smile after he'd punched her stomach upon meeting her on the Dark Road.

The act had left a remnant: a large, yellowing bruise on her abdomen that had made it difficult for her to run for too long. She rubbed her hand across it and felt the twinge that contracted. She winced and pulled her hand away, only to feel the urge to touch it again.

'Stop it.' Came Trigger's voice from beside her. He looked up at her and grabbed her left hand gently. Lucinda smiled at him.

"I'm fine." She said automatically with a detached tone. Trigger tightened his small grip, as though to lace his three claws with her five long fingers. This brought her out of her stupor and she looked at him. The feeling of another's hand in hers seemed to bring her back to reality, "I'm just... I think the shock of everything's just starting to set in." She said softly.

Trigger nodded with understanding and looked over her with an air of guardianship. There were still shavings of dried blood scattered across her neck and chin. Her hair, which was now down after Riku had unpinned it (and was now in possession of her hairclips), was dirty and dark after her match with Ansem; it was barely able to move with the faint breeze as it was held down by how greasy it was at the moment.

'I know.' He replied. He knew very much how she felt. Ansem's betrayal had left him cold, and now even more protective of his best friend. He looked at the hand he held and felt a twinge of apprehension. The arm of said hand was encased in a black sleeve that was encrusted in blood. Beneath the sleeve, the arm was still suffering from severe burn wounds, as well as deep gauges and lacerations, gifts from her own dear uncle Ansem.

'Lucinda.' Trigger spoke, once again catching his friend's attention. She looked at him, trying to appear all there, 'Do you really believe that Ansem isn't your uncle?' He asked. Lucinda's eyes hardened. After all this time of delving herself into all of the possibilities, keeping it to herself for so long, hidden away, she inwardly jumped as she remembered that Ansem had really told her this. She looked back upon the road and closed her eyes as she breathed in deeply.

"I... I don't want to believe it. I really don't. It's like... I never, ever want to be associated with him ever again...He got what he deserved but... I... I don't want to lose what we had. And... I'll always know him as my uncle, no matter what he says. I guess it just pains me that he said he took my father in out of pity, and then he said that everything we had was a farce, even when I remember everything we did together... You remember, right? I mean, we all had fun, didn't we?" She asked. Trigger nodded.

'Every day. I remember.' He said softly. Lucinda sniffed as she looked towards the twilight sky.

"Then how could he call it a lie?" She choked as she stopped to wipe away a few tears. Trigger stopped beside her and began to stroke her hand as he continued to hold it with his other.

'Maybe it was because of the Darkness.'

"What do you mean?"

'Well... It consumed him so much... Maybe he forgot everything we went through.'

Lucinda sniffled, wiping her nose. She looked at him intently, wishing she could believe what he said.

'But I guess we'll never know.' Trigger finished, looking down at the ground. Lucinda sniffled again and leaned over to stoke his head.

"Maybe not."

"HEY!"

Lucinda and Trigger jumped to hear Sora's voice. He, Donald and Goofy were quite a distance away and Sora was jogging back to them. Lucinda and Trigger rushed to meet him.

"What's going on?" He asked as they approached each other. He spotted Lucinda's red face and watery eyes and his face became concerned, "Are you alright?" He asked with great sincerity. Lucinda forced a grunt of a laugh and nodded.

"Just...Thinking about Ansem." She said sadly. Sora looked at her sadly as Lucinda realized she hadn't told him and the others what her 'uncle' had said, "Back on the Dark Road he told me that my dad was adopted and that I wasn't his real niece."

Sora's blue eyes widened in shock as Donald and Goofy shrieked a 'WHAT?' from behind him, scaring the Key-bearer silly.

"Don't sneak up on me like that!" Sora shouted quickly so he could turn back to Lucinda and ask himself: "How could he say something like that?!" He asked, balling his fists. Lucinda shook her head.

"I don't know. I mean... I guess it could be real... If my dad was adopted before I was born, it's plausible, but he made it seem like we weren't really family. I remember all the good times we had, and then when he brought up this subject, he's treating it like it's a reason to throw everything away. I think he initially brought it up to try to get me to go to the Darkness."

'As much as it pains me...' Trigger began, catching Lucinda's and Sora's attention, 'He got what was coming to him. I love that man... He was my father, but after everything he did- I don't know that I'd be able to look him in the eye again, especially after he treated you.' Trigger said, looking at Lucinda, who wrapped her arms around her waist.

Donald and Goofy were catching on to when Trigger was talking, as they'd noticed Sora and Lucinda's attention going to the Shadow as his antennae rapidly twitched.

Sora diverted his eyes to the ground and sighed. He didn't think he could ever bring himself to forgive Ansem either. After possessing Riku and endangering the worlds, the crazed once-king had received his punishment.

Lucinda sighed, clenching her fists as she was angry with herself for getting this way again. She hated being sad; but it didn't seem like there were too many good thoughts to reminisce on.

Even that kiss... Her first kiss with Riku, which was so empowering and motivating... It would only bring her a quick wave of happiness... But then she would become teary-eyed as she would realize that he wasn't by her side anymore.

"Maybe we should set up camp."

Sora's suggestion of getting some rest cut through Lucinda's train of thought. The boy looked around the area as the sky was becoming dark with the arriving nightfall, "It's getting late and I'm bushed. Maybe we can discuss this once we've got a fire going." He said to Lucinda, putting a hand on her shoulder. She nodded and began to follow the others with Trigger by her side.

_**XXXX**_

Sora, Donald and Goofy had all gone out to either find firewood, food, or water. Lucinda and Trigger sat in the cool, green grass as Lucinda eyed her best friend.

"You mean it?" She asked, catching Trigger's attention. Trigger looked at her and his antennae gave a twitch.

'What's that?' He asked, unsure of what she was asking. Lucinda sighed and closed her eyes tightly.

"I... I'm not mad at you but... Did you mean it when you said Ansem got what he deserved?" She asked. Trigger looked at her, heaving a sigh of reluctance.

'...Yeah. I'll always carry the fond memories. But Lucinda... Man, I can't look at you without getting mad at him. If you could see yourself right now... If I looked half as bad as you, I bet you'd be going after him yourself.' He preached.

He gained a smile from Lucinda that appeared in the time it took a mouse's heart to beat.

'You're not mad at him?' Trigger asked. Lucinda's face contorted as she wanted so bad to cry.

"I _AM_ mad, Trigger... I... I'm So MAD. But... I'm so sorry. I feel like I let him down somehow." She choked. Trigger quickly got up and walked over to her, putting his small claws on her hands, looking her in the eyes.

'Stop it Luce. I'm begging you; It's not your fault that everything happened. No matter what you believe, you are NOT the queen of karma.'

"Trigger, why?" She sobbed, bringing her face down to touch his forehead, "What did we do wrong?" She sobbed. Trigger felt his heart break and he wrapped his arms around her neck as best he could.

'Ohh, Lucinda...' He whispered, running a clawed hand through her dirty hair, 'You didn't do anything wrong.'

"We just wanted our family back!" She cried, wrapping her arms around Trigger's waist as she hunched further to the ground, "Is that so much to ask?"

Trigger could feel Lucinda's tears stinging on his ebony skin as her cheek rubbed against his.

He wished... He prayed... He wanted to do something to ease her pain. Every tear she shed was a knife to his heart.

_How can I make her feel better?_

_I'd do anything to make her feel better..._

_Wait... I've said that before..._

_**XXXX**_

_**"Please Trigger." Lucinda's voice as a child filtered through Trigger's memory. Tears fell down her face as she lay on her side, her expression was hard and emotionless, but her eyes spoke her torment, "Don't let X------t take me down there again... I can't take it anymore."**_

_**XXXX**_

Trigger gave a small hiss as his heart took another blow. He nuzzled Lucinda as she continued to cry softly upon his shoulder. He wondered... How on earth could he tell her something like that? Something that Ansem had forced upon his mind?

Maybe later, once she was feeling better, he would confide within her his own new, secret demon.

'Lucinda.' Trigger said as he brought a clawed hand down to softly rest on her wet cheek. She turned to look at him, appearing a frightful mess of disheveled hair and red, puffy eyes, 'If no one returns, if we're unable to locate family or friends, I swear, I promise... I'll do my best to be the only family you'll ever need.'

More tears were brought to Lucinda's eyes as she pulled her friend into a tight hug. She sobbed again before finding her voice.

"Trigger." She said, burying her cheek into his as she cried, "You're already more than enough. I don't know how I'd get along without you."

He had to let her know he would never leave her side. She was everything he lived for. So long as Riku was absent and Ansem was now gone, he vowed to himself to take the duty of protecting his best friend.

If they were to be each others' last remaining family, then so be it. He would do the best job any man or Heartless could do.

_**XXXX**_

Swirling darkness, that which would usually choke someone who wasn't familiar with it, smothered his body as he walked along the black road. It didn't bother him, nor had it since he'd accepted the element with a calm, determined heart long ago.

He walked, feeling quite alone in the Darkness. It was a feeling he didn't question.

Just within the previous week, two precious souls that he'd been protecting had returned to their bodies.

While it was a moment of sadness for him to see them depart, it brought him the foreign feeling of joy; to know that the children that he'd helped to raise had returned to their rightful bodies and would continue living was a blessing to him.

Unfortunately he had other business to attend to. He could not search for them and see if they'd awakened yet.

"Lucinda... Trigger... I can only hope that our paths will cross again;

"Until then, my children..."

_**XXXX**_

_Sora, Donald Goofy, Ansem, Riku, Heartless, mystery dude at the end (C) Square Enix/Disney_

_Lucinda, Trigger (C) me_


	2. Learning and Coping

_"Run Lucinda! He's not your uncle! That's not Ansem!"_

Lucinda pondered the scene that she'd envisioned during her fight with Ansem. The scream of the Golden Haired-man was so sincere and frantic that it made Lucinda wonder what had happened, or more importantly, if something had happened. Ansem had confused her so much in the past few days that she was beginning to wonder if she should ignore his mind tricks.

Within time, a crackling fire had made itself welcome as Sora, Donald and Goofy returned and the small team huddled near it's nourishing warmth and light.

They hadn't found anything to eat, or to drink. This land was as baron and dry as The End of the World itself.

Lucinda sat Indian-style, with trigger in her lap. She ran her hand up and down his back, petting him as they rested. She grimaced for the bruise on her stomach, but she'd noticed that any way that she tried to sit would just bother her injury anyway.

Lucinda first listened to the point of view of Ansem's fight from the boys, such as what had happened after Lucinda was separated from the others, or when the team was split apart in the Dark Realm up to their reunion and defeat of Ansem. Sora also explained that he'd said his good-byes to Kairi, and that he'd witnessed the rebirth of his world.

Afterwards, Lucinda explained what had happened as she faced down Ansem, and her reunion with Riku. Her eyes would wander as she remembered details, like Ansem's cold words, Riku's yearning to see his friends again, and the horrible pressure that the Darkness in that realm put on one's body.

Sora, Donald, Goofy and Trigger listened as she told them about what Ansem had said about the relationship between himself and Lucinda's father.

"So, lemme get this straight," Sora started, "Your dad was actually adopted?"

Lucinda was about to nod, when she finally shook her head.

"That's what he told me..."

"Do you believe him?" Donald asked, leaning forward. Lucinda looked at Trigger, who returned the gaze. She rubbed his cheek with her knuckles, trying to get her mind off of the pain.

"I don't know. I mean, he said things that I just don't know if I should believe."

"Gawrsh," Goofy said, wiping one of his eyes, "First I felt bad that we beat up your uncle, now I feel bad 'cause your uncle went and hurt you."

Lucinda put a kind smile on for Goofy as Trigger chuckled.

"Oh, Goofy. You did what you set out to do. We all did. It just happened to be Ansem that had to..."

She couldn't say it.

_...Be taken down._

She closed her eyes and swallowed again, wiping her eyes. Trigger watched her, his antennae folding back as he sighed. She lowered her head, remembering everything that had happened that day.

"But yeah," She choked, "It hurt."

Sora leaned back, his legs spread out in front of his as he looked up to the sky. He gave an enlightened smile as he thought about what Lucinda had told him about Riku.

_Riku doesn't hate me anymore._

He thought this with a great smile. His best friend had renounced their deadly rivalry and had hoped to see the Keybearer, but unfortunately things didn't go as planned. He looked back to Lucinda, keeping the smile.

"So, I guess you and Riku are boyfriend and girlfriend now?" He asked. Lucinda snapped her head up to look at him and she blushed. She remained quiet for a moment as the rush of memories between her and Riku came back. She allowed a smile to surface as she shrugged.

'I should hope so.' Came Trigger's voice as he looked up at Lucinda, who snorted.

"Oh great matchmaker." She grinned. Sora looked on curiously.

"What's that mean?" He asked. Lucinda face became even more red, while Trigger's chest puffed out even more.

'I'm only the whole reason the two became chummy.'

"You're such a ham." Lucinda griped as she pulled on one of the Shadow's antennae, "Always seeking attention!"

Trigger laughed softly as he listened to Lucinda become playful. He let her tug on the black wire that was attached to his head rather happily as long as it meant she was in a better mood.

But a heavy sigh that escaped from her lips proved to dash his hopes. Her fingers slid from his antennae and she leaned back, turning her gaze to the sky.

After a quick moment of happiness, the last thing she wanted was the heavy weight of her sadness to return. She looked at Trigger, her orange eyes half-open and dull.

"Sorry, but... I need to take a walk." She said. Trigger's head jerked back in slight surprise at her sudden request, but he absentmindedly listened and moved off of her lap. She gave him one last pet across his head as she rose to her feet, wincing again at the bruise on her stomach and she turned to her friends, "I just need some time to think."

She felt something pelt her hip. Looking down, she noticed a pebble drop to the ground and she turned to see Sora with a worried, but hearty smile.

"Don't be like you were earlier! Remember! Don't dwell on it, 'cause it won't make it any better!"

Lucinda gave a smile in return.

"I know. I don't plan on getting like I was. I just wanna be by myself for a bit."

'That's fine.' Came Trigger's voice, 'We won't stop you.' he said, 'If you need to be alone, we understand.'

Lucinda patted his head and sighed before she turned away, wrapping her arms around her waist as she walked up the hill.

Trigger let out a sigh as he sat on the cool grass next to Goofy.

"You're not going with her?" Sora asked. Trigger shook his head as he faced the boy.

'No. I understand if she needs to be alone. After the things that happened today, I can only understand what's going on in her mind. Besides, she let me have my time alone back at Traverse Town, so... Fair's fair.'

"Speaking of which..." Sora said with a devilish smile, "Has anything... _changed_?"

'Changed?' Trigger asked. Sora's grin became wider.

"Yeah... About... you inheriting Riku's _taste in women_?"

Trigger had almost forgotten that he'd told Sora about the feelings he'd harbored for Lucinda.

But Sora didn't get the reaction he was expecting as all he got was a embarrassed blush from the Shadow.

'...Well... Yeah.'

Sora's grin slowly faded as he eyed Trigger with curiosity.

"You don't love her?"

'Not like Riku. At least not anymore. I'm perfectly content with things the way they are."

"Just being friends?" Sora asked. Trigger shook his head.

'I'll agree, we're more than friends, but there's no chance of us getting together.' Trigger said with a chuckle, 'She's much too happy around Riku, and I can tell that she doesn't have any romantic feelings around me."

"How do you know?" Sora asked. Trigger chuckled.

'She goes red every time she thinks about Riku, but I can recline on her lap and I couldn't be anywhere on her mind.'

"Maybe it's because she's used to it." Sora shrugged, giving a playful smile.

But Trigger wasn't playing.

'I'm serious, Sora. There's no way that I'd go for Lucinda's affections. The place that I hold in her heart is all I could ever ask for. She's my best friend, my sister. All I want anymore is to stay by her side, and protect her. That's all that matters to me anymore is her safety.' Trigger mused as he turned to watch Lucinda descending down the top of the hill, leaving his sight. He felt the urge to go after her, to keep an eye on her; but he resisted and allowed her to have some time to herself.

Sora looked at the Shadow as he'd turned his head back to the fire.

"What will you do once we find Riku? What if he and Lucinda really do get together?" Sora asked. Trigger thought about it. He didn't really want to think that far.

'I don't know. I only know life around her. I can only hope that she'll let me stay. But what about when she gets married one day? Has kids, grows up? What role am I going to play? Will I play a role? She has a life to live; and mine really only consists of getting her there. Huh... Not that I've done that great of a job.'

"Of course you have." Sora said, "You're always by her side!"

'Not when we fought Ansem. I wasn't there. Riku was. I couldn't even help when her arm got burnt.'

"So? You're still by her side, every step of the way! You comfort her, you comfort everyone! You stick by her side with advice and care about her like no one else can! You're the last family she has left, so I can only guess how important you are in her eyes."

Upon hearing Sora's words, Trigger thought about things Lucinda had often told to him. Such as when they stood upon the fake Destiny Islands and she revealed that she never wanted to forget him the way that Ansem had forgotten them, and how several times she confided in him how she couldn't imagine being without him. They'd been together for so long...

"Why is protection such a high priority to you?" Sora asked. Trigger looked at the boy, cocking his head.

'Why wouldn't it be? Don't you want to protect your friends?'

"Of course." Sora retaliated, "But it's just that you seem to make it your life's work."

'That's what I've been saying.' Trigger said, balling his fists, 'It IS my life. Making sure she's safe is all I have in my life. But what will I do when she doesn't need me anymore?'

Sora looked at Trigger with sympathy, but also with an air of frustration.

"You know that Lucinda wouldn't want you to revolve your life around making sure she's untouchable."

'It's not like there's anything else I can do.' Trigger sighed.

"But why?" Sora asked again, "I just want to know why you have to dedicate your entire being to her."

Trigger took a deep breath. He wanted to say it... To tell someone before it ate him alive. He looked at Sora and his antennae folded back in anxiety.

'... When we fought Ansem, he showed me this... memory. Or at least I think it's a memory.'

**_XXXX_**

Lucinda laid down on the cool grass, looking up at the dark, glittering night sky. She half-expected to see a satellite or a plane to make it's way across the space above her; but nothing obstructed her view of the stars.

'Good.' She thought to herself. She didn't want to miss a single view of any of those gems in the sky.

Riku might have been on one of them.

She had been laying down with her arms folded behind her head; however, her left arm was beginning to throb. She winced and brought it out from under her head and she rubbed it gingerly, resting it on her abdomen. She whimpered as she felt the bruise on her stomach twinge. It seemed there was no chance of rest for her. Between her body repairing itself and her mind trying to sort out the knots of Ansem's scenarios, she was a mess.

Sitting up, she continued to cradle her stinging, burnt arm.

She tried to ignore the blockage in her mind as she closed her eyes and brought her knees to her chin. As she tucked her arm close to her stomach and cleared her mind, she began to feel something warm in her ribcage.

Finally, a smile appeared on her face.

"Riku."

The warmth in her chest awoke. It was the first time since her separation with Riku that she had felt the comforting sensation. She stopped holding her left arm so close and she allowed it to move and place a hand over her chest. The warmth grew as she remembered Riku. Tears fell as she wished to be by his side, but the light that emanated from his influence on her burned arm relieved her sadness.

Curling into a ball, she felt as though she was shielding herself from the evils of the outside world by holding this little torch in her heart. It began to mend her once again, letting her know that she was the stronger one, no matter what the mess was.

**_XXXX_**

The dark figure, wrapped in his heavy cloaks, continued to walk in the Darkness.

The images of those beloved children that had brightened his life at one time still danced in his head. Their laughter made music in his memories as he reminisced on times passed.

But he still had work to do.

He remained on his path in the Darkness, intent on his goal. His heart burned for retribution for the wrongs that had been committed against him, and those children, so many years ago. He knew exactly what needed to be done, and where he needed to go.

Castle Oblivion, it was called. It was to be his first place of investigation so he could begin plans for his revenge. He walked along the dark realm, opening path after path. It was difficult to create through so many. Usually going through just one was a chore for him.

He exhaled with a tired air, feeling the pressure around him. The strength it took to mold those portals with his own heart tended to weaken him bit by bit, although he'd been conserving his energy for some time as he'd began planning this intrusion for several months. He just had to remember to take his time.

"What's wrong, old man?"

The red-clad figure stopped at the sound of a voice that had such a cold snap to it, it could have been identical to an icicle breaking. He turned as another Dark portal opened behind him.

Sauntering out of the black wisps of energy, a boy walked into the realm, not stopping his stride as he slowly approached the robed figure.

Despite the darkness that inhibited the view of the newcomer, the older man could tell that this other person couldn't have been more than fourteen by the sound of his voice.

"It's hard to function when you're not in your right element, huh?" Said the boy as he slowed down while he neared the taller man.

The red-clad figure became wary as he could sense something abnormal about the boy. Darkness swirled around him calmly, benignly even; yet it was still strange.

"This 'element' is not what ails me." Growled the older man as he turned to leave. The boy laughed, his chuckle sharp and crackling; like a gun being fired repeatedly. It echoed throughout the normally empty realm and caused the older man to look back.

"No. Of course not." Said the boy, giving a smile that was only hinted at by his silhouette, "Maybe it's that you've chosen to pursue your hatred over your 'babies'."

He spoke with such unneeded pretentions that it caused the older figure to snarl.

"Who are you to say what troubles me or not?" He snapped.

"Well, if that's not what troubles you, then I can only guess what you'll do if you see them again."

"Not 'if'. I _will_ see them again. I plan on it."

"Do you? Oh, what fun it will be. You'll have a lot of catching up to do."

"Indeed we will." The red-robed figure turned once again to make his exit once again, only to be interrupted again.

"Especially since you're nowhere in their memory."

The older man paused and whipped around to face the boy. His only visible, flame colored eye flickered with hidden anxiety. The boy laughed again; softer this time. It wasn't visible to his verbal nemesis that his sand-brown eyes were squinted in the delight of revealing these facts.

"What are you saying?" He hoarsely questioned, his eye not leaving the boy's shadowed face.

"All of that drama back home all those years ago seemed to rattle their poor little minds. It's such a shame, really. Funny thing is, they seem to be quite the upstanding little-"

"You know them? You know where they are?" Asked the older male, taking a step towards the teenager.

"I know one of them." The boy replied.

The older man's face radiated confusion, even if it was hidden by layers of red cloth.

"Although through him, I know _her_."

"...Lucinda?"

"Yes. Your _darling_."

"Through... _Him_?"

The boy shifted in place, lifting his head in a sense of unearned pride. The older man felt another strange radiation of Darkness emanate from the teenager.

"How do you know him?"

The boy laughed again. He took the man's hand and thrust it upon his small chest as he held his breath.

The man stared at the young teenager with surprise as his palm spread across his chest. For a second his mind raced, but not until he realized what the boy was doing. The man stopped for a moment as he relaxed; but the feeling was not for long.

A twinge of panic and shock filtered through his brain as he focused on what he felt.

Or what he didn't feel.

Upon the boy's chest, he didn't feel a thump-thump of a heart.

He didn't feel a thing.

He removed his hand from the boy's chest and made a grab for his small wrist. He placed his other two fingers on the unseen, blue arteries in his wrist and waited for an apprehensive second.

Nothing. No thump, no pulse.

"No heart..?" The man whispered to himself. The boy slowly slid his hand out of the other's grip and he flexed his fingers before returning the hand back to his side, "Oh, God... How?"

"I told you. I feel through him. I live through him. I always have. That's how I know him."

"Always?"

"Since we were born." He said, "He is a part of me. As embarrassing as it is, think of me as one of those _Nobodies_, if you will. Does that make sense?"

The robed man's eyes flickered in realization again. "...He is your heartless?"

"No. He _is_ my heart."

The older man looked confused.

"It's not that I don't have a heart," The boy said as a smirk stretched across his youthful cheeks, "He's just not in my body. Despite our similarities, we are not Heartless, nor are we Nobodies."

"How..? How can a heart _live_?"

"Do you care enough about them to find out? Or haven't you wasted enough time on me?"

The older figure gave a startled jump as he realized he'd been talking to this boy for several minutes. He looked around to see that the portal he'd just created was still open.

"I know I have enough time." Said the boy again as he grinned, "In fact... I plan on seeing them soon anyway. I'm quite excited."

"Really?" Asked the red-robed man. The boy laughed rather erratically.

"Mm-Hmm. I can't wait to meet them."

"Meet?"

"Of course. I've seen Lucinda before, really. She was rather hard to miss on all of the news broadcasts back home. After all, she was my once-future queen. And although I am connected to him, and I have seen him on the same pictures and broadcasts as Lucinda, I have not been reunited with my heart since we were in the womb. My 'brother'."

'...'Brother'?"

"Anything else would just sound weird."

"Calling a heart 'brother' isn't weird?"

"Lucinda's been doing it for years." The boy said. The man inhaled as he fully realized that the boy was truly talking about him, "I can't wait to meet him. Really.

"I can't wait to meet my dear 'brother' Trigger."

**_XXXX_**

Donald and Goofy by now had moved on to talking amongst themselves around the fire. They were discussing the possible whereabouts of their king and how they could reach him.

Sora, on the other hand, was engrossed in the image that Trigger had explained to him.

The image of a young Lucinda, no more than the age of six, as she lay on her bed under the blankets with tears streaming down her emotionless eyes.

Sora looked at Trigger with his mouth agape.

"Ansem showed it to you?" The Keybearer asked. Trigger nodded.

'I'm positive. But... The strange part is that I don't know whether it's real or not. I don't remember it happening, at all. It contradicts all of my memories... But my heart doesn't argue with it. It's made a place in my mind, but I just can't help but wonder if it's real or not. Just like how he told Lucinda that her father was adopted.'

Sora took a breath, his arms wrapped around his elevated knees as he sat a short distance away from Trigger.

"What does Lucinda think about it?" He asked, causing a bevy of emotions to stir within Trigger. His antennae perked as he felt guilt wash over him, but then anxiety flooded his feelings.

'I... Haven't... Told her.' He admitted. Sora scratched his head.

"Why not?" He asked. Trigger tightened his fists.

'Because... I don't know how to tell her. It just seems so out there, so dark and sudden. I can't even feel a sense of reason behind the image, but what's worse is that I can almost remember how I felt when it happened.' The Shadow said. Sora looked confused.

"What do you mean?" He asked. Trigger ran a hand across his forehead and he gave a heavy sigh.

'I remember wanting to help her. I remember seeing her in that condition and wanting to give anything to make her feel better. I don't know why, but I can also seem to pinpoint the fact that I either did, or wanted to go into her dreams.'

Sora appeared even more confused, "Uhh... What?" He asked. Trigger looked at the boy and pointed to his head.

'I have a dream-ability. I can use my antennae to transfer myself into others' dreams. I did it to Riku when we first met. Scared the crap out of 'im." Trigger laughed as he remembered the afternoon when he invaded Riku's dreams and harassed him about his mission from Maleficent. Sora gave an amused smile as he peered to the hill that Lucinda has crossed nearly a half an hour ago. Trigger saw him look and he did the same.

The sun had long since set, and the moon cast a spotlight over the dark plains.

"Will you tell her what you saw?" Sora asked. Trigger looked back to him and sighed, thinking about the possibility.

'I feel like I should, but I just have no idea how to tell her. How do I bring up such a thing without scaring her more?' He asked. Sora shrugged.

"I don't know. But if you ask me, I don't think she's scared. I think she's really just confused."

Trigger nodded. He once again looked back to the hill that Lucinda occupied.

'Yeah.'

Sora thought about the words that Trigger had said earlier.

"So that's why you want to protect her?" He asked. Trigger's antennae perked, "It's because you don't want to see her in that kind of pain again."

Trigger nodded as he kept his gaze towards the hill.

'Yeah. I'm starting to wonder if that's why I've been so protective of her all this time.'

"Maybe." Sora said, shrugging again.

Trigger sighed. 'Yeah. Maybe.' He echoed. He took one look at Donald and Goofy as Sora was eyeing them with a laugh. They'd fallen asleep against each other and were now blissfully dreaming.

"Those guys really know how to take it easy." Sora smiled. Trigger nodded in agreement and he took to his feet.

'I'm gonna go check on Lucinda.' He said. Sora smiled.

"I think I'm gonna take a bit of a walk myself." He said, "I've got some thinking of my own to do." He said with a somber smile. Trigger looked back to Donald and Goofy in worry.

'What about them?' He asked. Sora looked again at his slumbering comrades and continued to smile.

"They'll be fine. Donald can cast magic in his sleep and it takes more that a hit to the head to do Goofy in."

The two bid good-night to each other and Sora took to his own path. He walked to the dirt road and began to walk down it slowly, putting his hands in his pockets as he began to contemplate; at least that's what it looked like he was doing.

Trigger sighed as he put a clawed hand to his heart, feeling it thump against his chest. He looked to the night sky, thinking about the events that had passed throughout the day. They were becoming rather dull now that they'd ran through his mind nonstop. However, he couldn't help but shiver each time he remembered the vision of Lucinda crying.

But why was she crying? And whose name was it that she mentioned in the memory?

**_XXXX_**

_Sora, Donald, Goofy, Mickey, Ansem, Riku, red-robed guy (Come on, guess!) Nobodies, Heartless, Kingdom Hearts (C) Square Enix and/or Disney_

_Lucinda, Trigger, New OC (C) me_


	3. Reluctance

_"You're invited, you know."_

_"To what?"_

_"Our little reunion, of course. Should you successfully infiltrate the castle._

_"Come and join us when you're ready; DiZ."_

_DiZ jumped in place as he stared at the boy._

_"How do you know me-"_

_"You can't hide everything in the dark... Your highness."_

_**XXXX**_

DiZ rushed through another set of dark portals.

He had a decision to make.

Either continue with his plan, or listen to this stranger who claimed to know his precious 'children'.

"What are you planning, boy?" DiZ scowled, closing the now-used portal behind him. He felt his energy decline slightly and he had to stop for a moment, even if it was purely against his will to do so.

He wanted to hurry, but he also had to conserve his energy. There were still so many tasks to perform that would demand his dark powers.

_**XXXX**_

Trigger walked across the top of the hill, listening to the rustle of the grass under his feet. He wondered how Lucinda was doing after nearly an hour to herself.

He didn't want to disturb her if she still wished solitude, but he at least wanted her to know that he was there should she need anything.

He chuckled to himself.

'I'm becoming the servant she never had.'

But this didn't bother him. Instead, it amused him.

As he trotted down the hill, he finally spotted her form, wrapped in a ball on her side. He panicked and ran down the hill as best as he could without tripping over himself and rolling all the way down like a bowling ball.

He finally approached her and stopped, where he leaned over to look at Lucinda. In the still darkness, he could hear her soft breathing as she slept, cradling her left arm while she rested on her right side. He sighed a breath of relief as he knew she was simply sleeping. He placed a hand softly on the mat of hair that rest on her face and removed the stray mint wisps so he could see her. He gave a mental smile as he was grateful that she'd made it through the chaos of the day.

He walked around her body and came to stop in front of her, where he sat down and looked out at the plains, lit only by the moonlight.

As his gaze reverted back to Lucinda, his mind regressed back to the memory of her young, troubled self. His antennae folded back and, as he watched her sleep, he remembered what Ansem had said:

_"If it weren't for you and your Darkness that infested her mind, Lucinda would still have all of her memories!" _

Trigger thought to himself. What did Ansem mean?

'My darkness...'

He growled to himself and, putting his head in his hands, let out a frustrated sob.

'I wish I'd never asked him!'

"Asked what?"

Lucinda's voice caught Trigger off guard. He jumped and looked her way as she was still laying on her side. She looked tired, but concerned as she eyed her best friend.

"What's wrong?" She asked, reaching out to run her hand across Trigger's head. The Shadow sighed and faced the ground.

'That guy, the blonde guy that we mistook for Ansem back on those islands. I asked Ansem about him.'

"Me too." Lucinda said. Trigger looked at her with interest.

'What did he say?' He asked. Lucinda shuffled as she sat up, cradling her sore left arm and wincing at the sting from the bruise on her stomach. She looked to Trigger with a grim look on her face.

"He told me that they were friends, but he found out the man had been performing experiments with the Darkness behind his back, and eventually, with me."

Trigger shot to his feet.

'Say WHAT?!' He cried out, his communication piercing Lucinda's mind. She winced slightly and Trigger calmed down, 'S-Sorry!' He said, crouching down. Lucinda just smiled and shook her head as she continued to stroke his own head, 'Did he tell you his name?'

"No." Lucinda said, "But it seems that every time I try to imagine him... Every time I try to remember anything about him, my mind just trails off to Ansem."

Trigger's mind went haywire. What if this man was the name she mentioned in his memory? He prepared to speak up when-

"However," Lucinda said, "Was when we were fighting, I remembered something with that man, and he was screaming at me, not maliciously... I think he was trying to save me."

'How do you think?' Trigger asked. Lucinda looked at him, her nervous face highlighted by the light of the moon.

"I don't remember much about the memory, but I know he was talking about Ansem, and he was telling me that Ansem_ wasn't _Ansem. He was screaming for me to run away, that Ansem would kill me; that he wasn't my uncle."

Trigger stared at her, as captivated as Sora had been by Trigger's own story minutes earlier.

"First I asked Ansem about the guy, and that's when he told me that they were friends, but when I told him the part about the man telling me that he wasn't Ansem, he went berserk, and just started screaming 'I _am _Ansem. I am Ansem the Wise' over and over."

Trigger tried to think. In some ways, it fit. A man with no name, one man that Ansem had claimed to have experimented on Lucinda. That scenario fit Trigger's memory.

But, as for the man's plea to Lucinda to save herself _from _Ansem... It made no sense.

Lucinda noticed the Shadow's silent frustration.

"What's wrong?" She asked, putting one of her hands over his smaller ones. He tightened them within her grasp and looked up at her.

'It's what happened after _I _asked Ansem about that man.'

"Oh?" Lucinda asked. Trigger looked away for a moment and gathered his bearings.

'I asked him who he was, but he didn't tell me what he told you.' Trigger did his best to make eye contact with Lucinda, 'Instead, he said that the reason you couldn't remember anything was because of me.'

Lucinda stared at Trigger in awe over this.

"_You_?" She asked. "How on earth..?"

'He said it was my Darkness, and that it infested your mind.'

Lucinda looked lost.

"But how? Your darkness? Seriously? You don't have mind powers or anything!"

'I know. But still...'

Looking at her best friend, Lucinda's face showed fear.

"You think _you're _behind the memories?"

'I don't know!' Trigger choked, 'I'd been remembering images of that guy, but only bits and pieces. I can't recall memories of us together, and I certainly can't remember any details of Ansem or him being friends. I just can't remember him period. But, after Ansem told me that I was at fault, he opened my memories, and I saw so many people. Guys in labcoats... One of them was blonde, but he wasn't they guy we're thinking of... There was one that stood tall with brown hair; and, of course, I saw the blond guy we're talking about. The only other details I know about him are that he was older, and I could see his eyes were reddish-gold.' Trigger looked at Lucinda, 'Actually, they match yours better than Ansem's.' He said, getting an interesting facial reaction from the girl, 'But, the one scene that stuck with me. I have to tell you, but I don't know how.'

"Why do you have to tell me?" Lucinda asked, scooting closer to Trigger to put an arm around him. The Shadow sighed again and hung his head.

'Because you're in it.' He said sadly as he looked up at her, 'And you're in pain.'

Lucinda straightened up.

"I was hurt?"

'Not physically.' Lucinda continued to look at Trigger as he struggled telling her, 'We were laying under your blankets, and you were crying. You looked empty; so lifeless. But you were crying so hard, and you were begging for me not to let someone 'take you down there'. You say a name, but I can't make out what it is.'

Trigger looked at Lucinda. Due to the light of the moon, he was clearly able to see the whites of Lucinda's eyes as they stared at him, wide and frightened.

"When did this happen?" She asked in a voice no louder than a whisper.

'Back when we were fighting Anse-'

"No, when did that event take place? With me and you; where I'm crying?!"

'I don't know! That's why it's bothering me!' Trigger hissed, revealing his palms as though pleading with her, 'I don't remember anything of the sort that happened, but my heart doesn't argue with the memory either! That alone scares me to death!'

Lucinda listened to Trigger, letting him talk.

'I... I don't remember when or IF it happened... but one thing's for sure. I can feel in my heart what my gut reaction was. If I'm correct, I think I was going to go into your dreams.'

"Really?" Lucinda asked. Trigger nodded.

'I can feel the urge to do so in the memory.'

"Go into my dreams? Why?" She asked. Trigger looked at her.

'I don't know. I think seeing you in pain made me desperate.'

The two sat there. Lucinda mulled over these new developments.

"Well. We know several things." She mumbled, beginning to fidget. Trigger looked at her.

'What's that?' He asked.

"One;" Lucinda began, "Ansem could have been lying to us. I mean... For all we know he's putting images into our minds for the fun of it." She said. Trigger nodded eagerly, until Lucinda began talking again, "But the memory where that guy is telling me to run was a natural memory. Ansem didn't force it upon me; and like you said, my heart doesn't argue with it being there."

Trigger's antennae lurched back. 'Lucinda... What if it really _was_ me?' He asked, as she looked at him, 'What if I _am _the reason that you're memory is gone?'

Lucinda smirked.

"Hey, your memory is just as bad."

Trigger couldn't help but laugh.

"Hey!" Lucinda said, situating herself to sit on her knees as she faced Trigger, "What you said gave me an idea!"

'What did?'

"Go into my dreams!" She said, balling her fists, "Maybe you can go in there and-"

'Ohh, no.' Trigger interrupted, causing Lucinda's face to fall in mid-sentence, 'If this is what that ability does, I don't want anything more to do with it!'

"Please, Trigger!"

'NO!' Trigger's firm answer shocked Lucinda, 'I promised to protect you!'

"What? When?" She asked, putting her hands on her hips as she continued to sit. Trigger shook his head.

'That doesn't matter! I'm not going to endanger your mind any more!' The Shadow made the attempt to turn, but his arm was caught by Lucinda.

"You've gone into Riku's dreams and he came out all right."

Trigger turned to eye Lucinda with that hint of sarcasm that only she could note.

"Don't give me that, you know it's true." She growled. Trigger looked to the sky and sighed as he turned around reluctantly, "You know that you meet up with the person in their dreams. You can meet me and we can sort through my memories, and possibly even yours."

'What if it really was me that corrupted you?' Trigger asked with such stress that it almost made Lucinda's heart break, until she poked him on the head.

"Until I see the truth, I'm not going to listen to a single thing Ansem's said." Lucinda snapped. Trigger looked at her uncertainly.

'Why?'

"Because he's a big fat liar." She quipped. Trigger continued to watch as Lucinda's face appeared emotionless.

'You don't feel... Bad about saying that?' He asked, remembering how upset she was earlier. Lucinda felt this sentence hit her she lowered her head.

"I... I really don't care anymore." She said sounding guilty.

Trigger sighed to himself, feeling guilty for Lucinda's sudden sadness.

'I'm sorry.' He said, taking her hand, 'I shouldn't have brought it up.'

Lucinda shook her head as she looked at him.

"Quit blaming yourself. It's not like everything's your fault." She said softly. Trigger shrugged.

'I guess I won't know until I look into that brain of yours, huh?' He asked. Lucinda snapped her gaze to him.

"You mean you'll do it?"

'I'll go into your dreams... But only, ONLY if you really want me to. If something goes wrong, you know I'll never forgive myself.'

"You know that I have every bit of faith in you." Lucinda said with a new smile on her face as she started to lay down on the grass. Trigger watched her, his eyes heavy with anxiety.

'And what if I _am _the cause of your memory-loss? What if my Darkness is to blame?'

"I think you've more than made up for it by now."

Lucinda's words spoke true to Trigger's heart. He sighed and clenched his fists, wondering if what he was about to do would bring any kind of answers to them. He watched her lie down and clasp her hands upon her stomach. He watched her face as she winced slightly and he walked to her.

'Are you comfortable?' He asked. Lucinda looked at him with a nervous grin.

"Not really." She said. Trigger shook his head.

'Take your time. Don't force yourself asleep.' He said, sitting down next to her. 'I can wait.'

Lucinda grunted a response and looked to the sky. Occasionally she would look at Trigger ever so slightly as he did the same.

She could tell he wasn't too happy about this. She watched his antennae flutter through the soft breeze as he kept quiet.

She thought about the image he'd told her about. She tried to imagine all of the times she'd cried when she was little; and this image didn't fit any of those instances.

If it worried Trigger this much, then it must have been serious.

She began to imagine what it would be like to see what they may see. If these images were truly as horrific as they sounded, did she really want to go through with this process?

**_XXXX_**

_Hi everyone! So sorry about the HUGE delay (like old times, eh?); but I got caught up in my FF7 stories. This is a bit of a filler, but I hope everyone likes it. Thanks for the reviews so far, I'm glad everyone's enjoying it ^^_

_everyone except Lucinda n Trigger (C) Square Enix and/or Disney_

_Lucinda and Trigger and unnamed boy in the beginning (C) me_


	4. Faded Memories

Lucinda lay on the cool grass for a while as she let her mind drift; something she was unsure about doing. She hated thinking about the events that had transpired over the day. Now it was even more difficult to fall asleep with the news of these alleged memories that Trigger had presented her with.

The 'Golden-Haired man'. Lucinda found it so strange that neither she nor Trigger had thought of him during their first two weeks of reanimation. If he played such an important part in their lives - being their uncle's friend and fellow scientist- then why hadn't they thought of him? Lucinda almost felt like blaming Ansem for his appearance. After all, he 'unlocked' the man's memory; but Lucinda wasn't sure where the fine line between 'unlocked' and 'made-up' existed anymore.

Lucinda thought of when she had heard the Golden-Haired man screaming for her to run from Ansem. If this man and the memory of him was fake, then why did Ansem go berserk at the mention of him 'not being Ansem'? Perhaps he did indeed exist at one point.

Ansem had said that the man had experimented on Lucinda. Images began to run through her mind as she wondered if this was true; what if this man was the one behind Trigger's memory of her troubled, younger self?

'I thought of that possibility too.'

Lucinda jumped as she heard Trigger's voice, "How did you-"

Upon noticing that she was walking around in a strange atmosphere, Lucinda realized that she had fallen asleep. Trigger walked up to her slowly.

'You were out in about two minutes.' He said with amusement as he started to look around. Lucinda mimicked him and noted the dark space that they resided in. Trigger took a breath, 'Luce, I'm getting total Deja Vu.'

"Quit worrying." Lucinda said, rubbing Trigger's head, "Let's just find out where to begin."

She began to walk around. In the middle of the room was a cylindrical stone fixture that seemed to turn the room into more of a circular hall. She walked around the blockade, only to find several jagged steps that led up to the top.

"Hey, Trigger! Over here!" She called as she started up the steps. Trigger followed, bounding behind her until they reached the top. The stone platform stood directly in the middle of the swirling walls of black mist.

"Well if this isn't depressing." Lucinda said, looking around. Trigger sighed.

'Your subconscious is supposed to represent your current emotional and mental state.'

Lucinda looked at him and shrugged, "But there's nothing here. You think if I think of something happy it'll change?"

'I don't know. You can try.' Trigger said with a shrug.

Lucinda gathered herself and closed her eyes. Taking a deep breath, she remembered anything that brought her happiness.

Most of her memories stemmed from the past couple of weeks. Her time with Riku and Trigger brought a smile to her face.

Riku's laughter, his tenacity, stubbornness... Traits that had caught Lucinda's eye from the start.

She imagined his voice, hearing it in her mind.

And then she heard his voice in her ears. Just as she was going to investigate, she heard Trigger as he shrieked madly:

'Holy crap!'

Lucinda opened her eyes. She nearly fell back as the black room had been replaced by the Grand Hall, complete with the golden pipes, whirring machinery, swirling portal and, right in front of them, Riku sat with doubles of themselves, laughing as they chatted amongst each other. As soon as Lucinda wondered how they got here, the image was washed away by the swirling black mists and the dark room returned.

"So that's how it works." She murmured with a smile. She resumed her memories of Riku, keeping her eyes open this time. The black mists flooded away as she and Trigger found themselves in the ballroom. Across the way, Riku danced with a replica of Lucinda while Trigger watched from the table, "This is amazing." Lucinda said, watching herself dance with Riku. She giggled as they had trouble keeping up with the pace of the music, and with each other, as they would have to pause every other moment to realign themselves in front of each other.

'Lucinda, do you think you can try to remember that guy?' Trigger asked. Lucinda looked back at him and the ballroom washed away.

"Good idea." She said. She focused her mind intently of the memory of the Golden-Haired man and awaited an image with butterflies growing in her stomach. She imagined his voice; the first memory that came to mind when she thought of it was his screaming when he begged for her to run.

_"Lucinda, run!!"_

Lucinda jumped as she heard his voice. As it rung through the mists in the room she opened her eyes to see what was in front of her:

Nothing. As she opened her eyes, the mists remained.

But the voice continued.

_"Please Lucinda! PLEASE RUN!"_

Trigger looked at Lucinda, unsure. He sighed, 'I'm sorry..'

"Will you knock it off?!" She hissed, seeing Trigger recoil, she immediately softened, "... I'm sorry." She apologized, leaning over and stroking the Shadow's head, "I didn't mean to."

'It's okay. I just wish I knew what happened... If I did anything-'

"Trigger, you're not the King of Karma." Lucinda grinned. Trigger looked at her, dumbfounded, and then sighed a laugh.

'So you _were _listening to me.'

"Maybe." She flashed a grin. Trigger rubbed the back of his head, "Maybe _you _could try to think of something. Do you think it could work here in my subconscious?"

'Sure. Since our minds are, technically, connected at the moment.' Trigger replied, walking up to the edge of the platform; 'What should I think about?'

"...How about the one with me? You know..."

Trigger turned to face Lucinda and it was evident that he was less than willing to see that memory.

'Luce, I don't know if I'm ready to face it. In my mind it's one thing, but if I actually had to look at it-'

"You can do this." Lucinda said, walking over to him and placing her hand on his shoulder, "Trigger, I need you to. This could help us out on the road to figuring out what happened."

'I don't know... What if it _was_ a lie?'

Trigger's desperation to not see this one memory frustrated Lucinda; however, she was in no state to force him to do anything he didn't want to.

"It could be a lie." She said, giving half a shrug. She sat down on the rocky ground beside him as the borders to her dream-world continued to swirl about, "But if you really don't want to look at it, you don't have to."

Trigger looked at her reluctantly.

'I don't want to cause any sort of delay in us finding our past, but...'

Lucinda stared at him, not knowing what to think. He'd always been the one to sally-forth, albeit once they'd looked before they leaped. He'd been afraid before, but not like this.

"Then... Maybe you could think of something else... Why don't _you _try to think of the guy?"

'The blonde guy?' Trigger asked, his antennae perking up slightly. Lucinda smiled.

"Yeah, why don't you take a crack at it? You heard his voice, do you think you could come up with a face?"

Trigger looked towards the ground in thought, then he looked up at the swirling mists.

'I could give it a go.'

Straightening up and taking a deep breath, Trigger remembered the sound, pitch, tone, volume, everything he could of the golden-haired man's voice.

"_Run... Luci- He- Run!"_

Lucinda and Trigger jumped as a garbled version of the blonde man's warning to Lucinda echoed throughout the chamber. Staring at Trigger in total confusion, Lucinda's mouth hung open.

"What..?"

Balling his fists in total confusion, Trigger seethed, 'Why isn't any of this working?! There has to be _something _from when we were little that we can remember right!'

Lucinda shot to her feet. Trigger jumped as he heard her do so. The princess stared at the swirling walls with determination and, in time, they began to twist and warp.

A small, redheaded girl raced through the corridors of a castle, giggling wildly as a another girl raced after her.

_"You can't catch me, Lucinda!" _shouted the red-head.

_"Wait up, Kairi!" _Lucinda shouted as she tried to keep up with her younger cousin as she carried Trigger in her arms.

Trigger and Lucinda watched as the three children raced through a maze-like room, it's jagged hallways leading here and there. They happened upon an ornate door and Kairi wrapped her tiny hands around the handle.

_"I'm gonna get to see the invention first!"_

_"Nuh-uh! He's MY uncle! I get to see it first!"_

Lucinda and Trigger watched intently as Kairi opened the door; and just as she did, it revealed a man in a pure white lab coat and blood-red cape-

Which then lead to a blinding light to take over the entire memory. The force seared Lucinda's and Trigger's eyes, causing them to shut them and turn away with a cry of pain.

As the light subsided, so did the memory, and anything that went with it. The black mists continued to swirl peacefully.

Lucinda exhaled with a shuddering breath as she looked around; becoming frustrated that she was unable to look at her past.

Beside her, Trigger whimpered. She looked to him as he put his head in his hands.

'All right. I'll do it.' He choked, 'I'll look at it.' He said, agreeing to remember what Ansem had shown him; that cursed memory of Lucinda's pain.

"Trigger, if you don't want to-"

'We really don't have a choice, Lucinda.' Trigger said. He inhaled deeply and prepared himself; this was one image that was crystal clear in his mind, unlike the memory of the golden-haired man, 'I don't know the rules of this realm... Whether it shows us real memories or not, but...'

Lucinda watched as the mists evaporated once more to reveal her room; but not just her room; the scene took place under her bedcovers. Everything was dark with lack of light as the princess and her faithful companion hid under her blankets.

Lucinda noted her younger self's face. There was no expression; even for a child, a human even, it was inanimate. She may as well have been dead, save for the tears that streamed down the bridge of her nose while she lay on her side. Her eyes looked to nowhere; they didn't even rest on Trigger. They seemed to avoid him, but her words were only for his ears as she squeezed him.

_"Trigger... don't let him take me down there today... don't let X------t take me down there today... I... I don't wanna go... Please... I don't wanna go..."_

Trigger stared at the scene. It was even more horrifying to look at instead of just picturing it in his mind. Emotions swelled inside of him as his memory seemed to tick- almost as if it was reawakening. He and Lucinda watched as he looked at himself, young, naive, and as scared as her. At the age of four, or maybe even three, depending on the age of this memory, the tiny Shadow watched her.

_"He won't stop telling me things..."_

_'Like what?' Trigger asked. Lucinda bit her lip- the most emotion the child had shown._

_"He tells me he's my uncle."_

_'That's not true.'_

_"I know..."_

_'You don't have two uncles. You only have __**him**__.'_

_"It's not that me's making he think he's my uncle, he's making me think he's my only uncle... He puts me in that chair... He tells me it's research... He said he wants to be just like his ma--st-r A-ns-"_

Their words garbled as the memory got fuzzy.

_'Does he hurt you?' Trigger asked. Lucinda's bottom lip quivered. Trigger sat up slightly, but Lucinda tightened her grip._

_"He..."_

_'**Does he hurt you**?' Trigger asked again, using his 'serious' tone._

_"I don't wanna go back down there... Help me Trigger... He wants me to believe him... He's lying to me... I'm scared. I don't wanna go down there, he'll lie to me more."_

_'Where's A---m?'_

_Lucinda didn't answer; all she spoke was a simpering: "Help me."_

_With that, Trigger shuffled in place and squirmed out of her arms. He put one of his clawed hands on her forehead and stroked it until she went to sleep. Then, as she slumbered, he replaced his hands with his antennae-_

And the memory went blank.

The room was quiet. Trigger didn't dare look back at Lucinda. His heart pounded in absolute fear whilst his mind raced with questions. He shook, he quivered, letting his hands ball into fists.

_'Is this what he meant by infesting her? My darkness... She's going to want to know... What do I do... What DID I do?'_

Crunching thumps of footsteps upon stone let him know that Lucinda was racing over to him. Trigger whirled around to begin his apologies and testimonies-

But he was cut off as Lucinda fell to her knees and her arms quickly wrapped around him.

For several seconds the embrace was silent. Trigger didn't dare move. He was too confused to do so. He looked towards her face as the princess revealed her ghost-white face to him, her golden eyes looking at him with what appeared to be admiration as they were filled with tears.

"Trigger. Thank you."

_**XXXX**_

_Sorry again for the delay. I'm still caught up in different stories XD_

_How's the story so far? Is everyone enjoying? I hope so ^^ Thanks for reading!_

_**Kingdom Hearts as well as its characters are (C) Square Enix/Disney**_

_**Lucinda and Trigger are my characters (Even though Trigger is a Shadow and Shadows are (C) Square/Disney ^^)**_


	5. Bullet

Exiting the Dark portal, the boy found two bodies lying in the grass. With a soft chuckle, he watched them sleep.

"It's a shame DiZ didn't join me. He could have had such a quick reunion.

"No matter. He probably wouldn't have had time to talk."

With a grin, the young man strode towards the figures of Lucinda and Trigger. Lucinda lay flat on her back while Trigger's head lay opposite to hers, his antennae touching her forehead.

"After all these years. I can finally get it back... I'll finally be whole. But patience, Bullet. First impressions are everything."

Kneeling down where their heads touched, Bullet took a hand and place his palm on the spot where Trigger's antennae touched Lucinda's forehead.

"Let me in, Trigger. We need to talk."

XXXX

'We still don't know what happened when I went into your dreams.' Trigger sighed as he now sat in Lucinda's lap. The princess sat on the stone ground as they gathered their bearings. Lucinda shook her head, still in shock over the scene that she'd witnessed of herself.

"I don't know if that's a factor anymore. From the sounds of it... Something fishy was already happening before you did any of that."

Trigger's spirits lifted slightly and he nodded.

"You know that no matter what, I still wouldn't blame you if something did go wrong, you know, with you going into my dreams and all." Lucinda said, rubbing one of her hands over the Shadow's head sweetly.

'I know.' Trigger sighed, 'I just wouldn't want that knowledge on my hands.'

"Then don't find out." Lucinda said, sitting up straight. Trigger looked at her.

'But, what if it's our only lead?'

"Well, look where it's led us so far. If you can't remember anything past that, and I haven't remembered anything from it, what good has it brought us? Maybe we should try and find some different leads, think of different memories. Maybe that'll help."

'I don't know. Maybe we should just call it a night.'

"We technically are asleep." Lucinda said, shrugging.

'Not really. If we kept this up all night, we'd both be mentally exhausted within hours. It would take a whole day's worth of real sleep to recuperate.'

"Man." Lucinda griped in defeat, making Trigger chuckle. The two sat there in silence for a moment as Lucinda pondered on whether or not to call it a night. In time, she looked down at Trigger and smiled, "It was very brave of you to look at that memory, you know." She applauded him. Trigger looked at her, wishing he could smile.

'...Thanks.' He said. Lucinda leaned over and kissed his forehead before straightening back up. She sighed and looked up at the swirling walls, wondering if there were any memories to think of that could lead to some sort of breakthrough.

'Did you hear something?' Trigger asked as his head perked up. Lucinda looked at him as his antennae stiffened upward.

"Hear what?"

Trigger didn't answer as he remained still. Lucinda kept her ears open for anything that sounded out of the ordinary. At first all she noticed was the sound of the swirling wall whistling and rushing about.

But in time, she too heard something off.

_"Mama?"_

Lucinda jumped and looked at Trigger, who clambered out of her lap immediately.

'Wh-What was that?' He hissed.

The voice repeated itself.

_"Mama, who is that? That man on the news?"_

Trigger looked back to Lucinda, who looked as bewildered as he felt. They'd heard the voice of a child; a young one; and in response, they got a feminine answer.

_"That's the man that daddy caught."_

_"He caught him?"_

_"That's right. He did a lot of bad things, so daddy arrested him and put him in jail."_

It was only seconds after that, the swirling walls evaporated to show a scene between a woman and a small boy. They sat in a spacious living room as a fire crackled.

_"I keep seeing him on all the news channels." The little boy said._

_"That's because we've been trying to find him for a long time."_

_The mother cradled her son in her lap. They shared identical lilac-colored hair._

_"Where's daddy? Why won't they show daddy if he's such a hero?"_

_"Well... That's the media. I don't know sweetheart. But... today is a very important day because a dangerous man has been brought to justice."_

_"...They keep talking about bad things."_

_"Those are things he did to people."_

_"Why don't they talk about good things?"_

_"I can change the channel if you don't want to watch."_

_"No, I just wanna know why they won't talk about things that aren't bad or sad or depressing."_

_The mother looked to her son. For his tiny age, he spoke like a college student._

_"Bullet Tuesti, you spent too much time with your grandma Ruvie."_

_"No I don't- Hey!"_

_On the screen, a photo of a dark-haired man appeared as he was named as the hero of the operations of a recent coup._

_"See? There he is!" The mother said, squeezing her son with a hug. The announcer's voice could be heard as he spoke quickly._

_"Commissioner Reeve Tuesti will receive honors from Ansem the Wise himself for his efforts in putting this man to justice after his two-year reign of terror upon the East Quarters of Radiant Garden. His wife Hyacinth also works in the force and together they have a Three-year-old son; Bullet."_

Trigger's antennae perked.

'Hyacinth..?' He whispered. Lucinda looked at him.

"Huh?"

'That name... It sounds so familiar.'

"This... Is this your memory?" Lucinda asked. Trigger looked at her, shaking his head.

'No... I've never... I don't know these people, but that name just rings something.'

"I should hope so."

Lucinda and Trigger jumped as the walls returned to their black swirls. Looking behind them, they found another person inhabiting the realm with them.

About half-a-foot shorter than Lucinda, a lilac-haired youth with sand-brown eyes slowly walked towards the two. Princess and Heartless shared looks of fright as he stared right back at them.

"Come on now, say something. I've been waiting years for this." He spoke first, letting his mouth tick with a smile.

'How did you get in here?' Trigger spat, getting in front of Lucinda. Bullet looked at him with great intrigue, 'And what do you mean by 'you hope so'?'

"Her name. Hyacinth's name."

'I just said it sounded familiar.'

"Well, maybe a different name would be clearer to your memory."

Trigger cocked his head.

'What? How would you-'

"Chrysanthemum." The boy's lips uttered one word that caused Trigger to freeze.

'...What?'

"Do you remember that name? Chrysanthemum?"

Lucinda looked at Trigger. She was shaking.

'It... It sounds about as familiar as Hyacinth.'

The boy shrugged.

"I guess that would make sense."

'Tell me what you're talking about- Wait. You- you can understand me. You can hear me?'

"Your voice is as clear as day."

"TRIGGER!" Erupted a shriek from Lucinda. Her sudden gasp threw the Shadow off. He whipped his head to look at her and she was pointing to the ground. He looked to where she was pointing and he nearly fell back.

From the boy's feet stemmed his Shadow; which seemed to meld with Trigger's form. Trigger looked back to Lucinda to realize that her shadow was pointing in a different direction from the boy's.

Trigger began to breathe heavily. He looked down at his feet where the boy's shadow connected with and he moved about, watching the dark form move right along with him.

Looking back up to the boy, Trigger, too, began to shake.

'Who are you?'

The boy smiled and walked forward.

"My name's Bullet. I've been looking forward to meeting you."

"Bullet?" The two boys looked over to Lucinda as she slowly made her way over to the two, "You're... Are you that boy? In the memory?"

Bullet nodded.

"Yeah. That's my memory."

'But how?' Trigger asked, in obvious distress, 'How did you get in here? Why am I attached to your shadow?"

"Because you are my Shadow." Bullet said. Lucinda stared at him, her mouth hanging open.

"That... That's impossible! Trigger can't be your heartless!"

"I didn't say he was my heartless." Bullet said calmly, "Trust me... it's something much different."

Trigger felt nauseous.

'Tell me... What's going on? What are you talking about?'

Bullet walked closer. "You want to know who I am?"

Trigger nodded. Bullet put his hands in his pockets and looked to the ground, almost as if he were nervous about talking.

"A long time ago, when my mother was expecting me, she fell in love with another man. She was torn between dad and him. So, one evening, she sought the magic of a powerful fairy and made a wish: That she could be with both men."

'I didn't ask for your life story!' Trigger snapped; however, Bullet simply raised his hand.

"The wish was granted, and she was split into two people while still carrying her unborn child. One remained with my father and in several months time delivered me.

"The other took the name Chrysanthemum, and on the same day that I was born, she gave birth to a most interesting child. Can you guess who that was?"

Trigger stared at Bullet, unsure of what to say, although he seemed to have a feeling of what he was going to say.

"That child was you. On September 12th; all alone, you were born to your mother, half of the son that belonged to her and her husband Reeve Tuesti."

Things went fuzzy; time altered. Trigger stared into the brown eyes of this boy that he hadn't even known for ten minutes. Lucinda as well had been rendered speechless, her mouth hung agape and her fingers turned cold.

'...That's impossible.' Trigger breathed, 'No... no, my parents are- were Heartless!'

Bullet's nose scrunched, "Who told you that lie?"

Lucinda and Trigger jumped.

"My uncle Ansem." Lucinda responded, "He-"

"Ansem? What? " Bullet cackled, "I can't believe he would tell you that lie, let alone the two of you believe it!"

Silence followed this. Bullet looked at the two as their wide-eyed expressions confused him.

"What are you talking about?" Lucinda asked, wondering by now if she was needing to support Trigger so he didn't fall over.

"What? You of all people should be aware that the Heartless didn't exist until, like, nine years ago! Well after Trigger was born! I grew up in the same world as you, believe me, I know what I'm talking about."

Lucinda was now as lost as Trigger. Her mouth bobbed for words that weren't coming to her.

Bullet stared at them. "WOW." He said, looking at them alternatively, "Uhh... Is this new for you guys?"

Trigger shook his head in disbelief 'This; how? I... I was found in the waterways! Ansem knew that my mother mated with a pureblood shadow, he-'

"No Trigger." Lucinda intervened. Trigger looked back at her as she stared into the distance, "Remember? You were a hypothesis..."

'But he found me! Remember the video?'

"I don't know what you guys have been watching, but I know my facts. And they're right in front of your eyes for you to see."

Bullet spoke his words clearly and confidently. Trigger and Lucinda looked back at the shadow that connected with Trigger's feet. The heartless began to shake.

'I-I... I'm... human?'

Bullet shrugged, "At one point you were. When mom separated into two people, it affected us tremendously. I was rendered a mere shell, without a heart. You're that heart, Trigger."

Lucinda almost fell over herself. She looked at Trigger as her mouth went dry.

Trigger put his hands to his head and turned away, breathing heavily. Bullet looked at Lucinda.

"I had no idea that this would be such a shock; I mean, I can guess you would be surprised of the relationship, but I didn't know that everything would be such a revelation."

Lucinda snorted, "I'm surprised there's anything out there that can still shock us."

'All these lies... And how can we know that you're not feeding us the same?' Trigger shouted towards Bullet. The boy stood poised and graceful.

"Trust me. I'm not leading you astray."

'Why have you come here? Why are you telling me this? You obviously came to us for a reason!'

Bullet averted his gaze slightly.

"Do you know what it's like to live without a heart?" He asked softly.

Trigger shrugged.

'I've lived with half of one my whole life.'

Bullet chuckled, "Of course."

Lucinda continued to watch. She felt horribly out of place.

"What's it like?" She asked softly of Bullet. He shrugged.

"Not having a heart? I couldn't say. I can't compare it to actually having a heart. I know that by not having one, my earthly ties are different from others. Pardon my ego, but my intellect far outmatched my classmates. That and my memory can reach well into my infancy."

'Mine too.' Trigger said. Bullet nodded.

"I came here wondering if you would consider a union."

Trigger froze, 'You mean...'

"If we could become one again..."

'No!' Trigger shouted, taking a step back. Bullet watched, taken back by his 'brother's' sudden answer, 'You want me to give up everything? My freedom, my life?'

"But we would be whole! You could have a body, I could have a heart!"

'NO! There's no way!'

"Just think about it!" Bullet begged as Trigger turned away, "Is there anything you've ever wanted that you can't do as a heartless?"

Trigger turned to give his retaliation.

'Never! There's-'

As Trigger turned, his eyes landed on Lucinda.

His heart fell to his stomach.

'No...' He whispered; the only person he would do anything for; the one thing he ever wanted was to protect her...

How many times had he said it to her? To himself?

If only I were human...

"Trigger?" Bullet asked.

'I... I...'

Lucinda looked at Bullet, her eyes filling with tears.

"Please; we can sort this outside."

'Sort... No...' Trigger mumbled, 'I don't-'

Bullet nodded, "That might be best. Having both me and Trigger here in your dream-state could cause complications on your body."

"Complications?" Lucinda asked. Bullet nodded.

"Don't think I didn't see all those bruises on you. What happened?" He asked. Lucinda turned away sadly.

"Ansem."

"Ansem?" Bullet asked. Lucinda's eyes rested on Trigger as he paced along the edge of the platform, holding his head. She simply nodded and walked over to her best friend. Placing a hand on his shoulder, she rescued him from his stupor. He looked at her, shaking, quivering.

'Lucinda, what do I do?' He sobbed. Lucinda dropped to her knees and once again wrapped her arms around him as he tried to do the same, 'What do I do?'

Feeling tears drop from her cheeks, Lucinda buried her face into the sleekness of Trigger's skull.

"Are you really thinking about doing this?" She asked, hoping that his answer would be no. Trigger choked and pulled away from her grasp.

'...With a body... I could protect you.'

"I don't want you giving up your freedom for my well-being! It's too much! If you don't want to do it, don't do it!"

Trigger buried his face in Lucinda's shoulder. He was lost.

'What has being a Heartless accomplished for me?' He asked.

Lucinda looked at him, her lip shaking violently. Trigger peered into her eyes.

'You don't want me to?'

Lucinda made a creaking sound within her sobs, "I don't want to lose you!" She squeaked as her voice cracked, "I can't lose you! Not you! Not my best friend! I can't lose anyone else!"

Trigger didn't know what to do; between wanting to fulfill his desires to protect her and not wanting to give up his freedom, he was stuck. All this news had come too fast, and almost too soon.

He looked up at Bullet, who watched, almost uncomfortably, as Lucinda clung to Trigger.

'I need time to think.' Trigger answered. Bullet nodded.

"I completely understand." He walked over to them slowly and sighed, "Perhaps I was too swift in telling you all this and asking that of you."

Lucinda lessened her grip on Trigger and wiped her cheeks. She continued to hiccup as she looked at Bullet.

"Please... Trigger's all I have left. Is this really the only way you can become whole?"

"The absolute, only way."

Lucinda looked at Trigger. The Shadow never looked more precious to her than he did at that moment.

"It's your choice." She choked, biting her lip.

Trigger looked at her, his antennae folding back.

That look was identical to the one he'd seen in the memory of her and him. It broke his heart.

Trigger looked at Bullet.

'First, I want more answers. More proof that you are who you say you are. This little shadow trick is good, but I need more evidence; that and if- I repeat, IF we united, you would watch over her, right?'

"Of course. You would have certain dominance within the body. I've spent years looking for you, I have no ties to anyone else; if it was your wish, I'll dedicate my years to her."

"That's not necessary!" Lucinda yelled; "I just want my friend! I don't want a nursemaid, I want my friend!"

Bullet looked confused. He watched the two friends argue; but his attention was soon diverted to something else.

"Uh-oh." He said, catching his companion's attention.

"Uh-oh? Uh-oh what?" Lucinda asked, standing up.

"A rift... You're waking up."

'No!' Trigger hissed in urgency, 'I need to get out before she does! If she wakes up and I'm not at the soul's door, we'll be stuck in here!'

"Then you'd best get going!" Bullet shouted.

"What's waking me up?" Lucinda asked as Bullet looked back up at the 'sky'.

"Someone's shouting..."

'Fight it Luce!' Trigger shouted as he bounded down the stone stairs, 'Fight it!"

Lucinda could feels the rift grow; someone's voice was becoming extremely audible.

Bullet walked over to her and grasped her shoulder, as though to weight her down.

"Don't wake up. Remember what I said, with me and Trigger in here, it could exhaust your body!"

Lucinda nodded, wondering where Trigger was. The voice was becoming louder.

Louder

Louder

But a voice didn't matter as Lucinda felt her chest pull. Her eyes forced themselves open as her body was smashed under an unknown force. Gasping for air, she looked around to find another gasping body upon her.

Shivering in the cold night air within reality, Lucinda looked at the figure.

"Bullet?" She groaned.

Bright blue eyes looked back.

It was Sora.

"Lucinda! Oh man, Sorry! I didn't see you there!

"Who's Bullet?"

XXXX

Sora tripped and landed on Lucinda XD

Wow. I just wrote that in the last 4 or 5 hours. If only I could do that with the rest of the story XD

I hope this isn't going too fast. Do any of you have thoughts? Critiques? Questions?

Kingdom Hearts and it's characters (C) Square Enix/Disney

Lucinda, Trigger, Bullet, Hyacinth (C) me


	6. Dream trauma

Lucinda looked around her as she and Sora stood up; her eyes were wide as her mouth bobbed for words.

Trigger and Bullet were nowhere to be seen.

"Lucinda?" Sora asked as the girl whirled around, searching frantically.

"They... Trigger went into my dreams-"

_'I need to get out before she does! If she wakes up and I'm not at the soul's door, we'll be stuck in here!'_

A rock seemed to settle in Lucinda's heart as she remembered Trigger's frantic words just seconds earlier.

"Into your dreams? You mean- did he tell you?" Sora asked.

Lucinda turned to look at him, confusion radiant in her face.

"Wh-What?" She hissed, feeling her head begin to throb.

"Earlier, he was telling me about something he saw from Ansem. A memory."

Lucinda thought for a moment as her head began to sting. She took a minute to gather her thoughts and remember why they were in her dreams in the first place.

"He told you too?" She asked. Sora nodded, approaching Lucinda as she appeared to be swaying.

"You'd gone off on your own. He told me sometime after that. I think he just needed someone to talk to."

Lucinda put her hand on her forehead and whimpered. Her skull was pounding, making it nearly impossible to register what was happening around her.

"Are you okay?" Sora asked, putting his hands on Lucinda's shoulders to brace her. She winced as her left arm throbbed upon Sora's firm grasp.

"I... I don't know. Trigger and Bullet-"

"Who's Bullet?"

Lucinda took a deep breath as her body ached worse than before. She looked at Sora and tried to race her way through an explanation; she was in too much pain to go into detail about Trigger and Bullet's connection.

"Bullet is... an old acquaintance of Trigger."

"What?" Sora asked. Lucinda shook her head.

"They were both in my dreams. I woke up and Trigger wasn't able to get out quick enough and now they're both stuck."

Sora's mouth dropped.

"You mean they're, like, in your _brain_?" He cried, his nose scrunching. Lucinda laughed softly at his expression and tried to ignore the continuous pain within her body. Even the large bruise on her stomach was becoming unbearable. She dropped to the ground and heaved for air as Sora tried to figure out what was going on.

"Donald! Get over here!" He shouted, "Luce, what's wrong?"

"Bullet... He said something about if- i-if they got stuck in my mind, it could impact my injuries." She huffed, gripping her ribs. The thumps of Donald and Goofy's feet let her and Sora know they were approaching. Donald waddled to Lucinda and cast an illuminating spell to look at her face.

"Gawrsh, Lucy," Goofy said, crouching down to look at the princess, "What's wrong?"

Lucinda shook her head, feeling dizzy. Sora knelt to the ground and gripped her good shoulder.

"Want me to?" He asked. Lucinda nodded slowly and Sora looked at his partners.

"Trigger went into her dreams to investigate something. Apparently, he and some other guy got stuck in there. How exactly did they get stuck?" Sora asked. Lucinda looked at him, smiling despite her answer.

"You woke me up."

Sora jumped, having not realized he'd accidentally caused this mess. Guilt overtook him and he hung his head.

"I-I'm sorry. I was in a big rush." He apologized.

Lucinda shook her head, "I just need to find some way to get them out of my head now."

"How about you go back to sleep?" Goofy suggested; Donald looked up at the tall captain.

"Aren't we supposed to be investigating that place Sora found?"

"Place?" Lucinda asked.

Sora nodded eagerly, yet seriously, "While I was walking, I came across someone-and something... or _someplace_, that I think can help us!"

"You think?" Lucinda asked, rather confused by his explanation.

Sora shrugged, "Hey, it's the first lead we have so far."

Lucinda sighed and tried to remain in an upwards position, "How far away is it?" She inquired as Donald's wand began to glow a calming green hue; Lucinda felt the warmth of a healing spell and she relaxed, hoping it would take quick effect.

"About a mile or so away." Sora answered. Lucinda grimaced at the thought of walking that entire way. She looked on her left arm and pulled the sleeve up, seeing that she still had the silver summoning bracelet given to her by Jumba Jookiba. She took the bracelet off of her damaged arm and put it on her other wrist.

"Let's see if Donald's magic can help." Lucinda murmured to Sora, "If not, I'm gonna stay here and maybe try to get some rest." She pressed the button on the bracelet, prompting a bright light to shine. A figure materialized and appeared in the form of a small, blue creature. Stitch twitched his long ears and looked up to see Lucinda.

"Eh, Lucinda!" He chattered. He scurried over to the girl and slowly took in her damaged appearance. He growled and looked at the boys before Lucinda took Stitch by the chin.

"They're helping me." She said firmly before smiling, and scritching 626's coarse fur calmly. Stitch's large black eyes flickered with acknowledgement as he looked around at Sora, Donald and Goofy.

"Oh, okay." He said before resting his rump on the ground, "Why'd you call? I don't see monsters."

"I need your help with something else." Lucinda murmured, "The guys all need to investigate something. I don't think I'm going to be able to go with them. Can you stay here with me so I can get some rest? They want to make sure I have a lookout."

Stitch puffed out his chest and nodded, "Stitch help."

Lucinda smiled and thanked him with a pat on the head. The experiment's ears lowered slightly as he examined the princess.

"What happened?"

"Got into a fight." Lucinda answered. Stitch's ears perked.

"Lilo does that a lot. Makes Nani mad. Gets Nani into trouble." He said solemnly.

"Wonderful talk we're having." Donald piped as he continued to heal Lucinda.

"Sor-RY." Stitch said sarcastically, "Oh, you find friend?" He asked Lucinda. She felt her heart drop, but she nodded.

"Yeah, I found him. He just has a bad habit of slipping away."

"You can say that again." Sora laughed, sitting down next to Lucinda, "I hope we find him."

"You'll come get me if you do find him, right?" Lucinda asked. Sora grinned.

"I don't know, what with you 'lazing out' of the investigation-"

"Sora!" Lucinda cried out with a smile as she pinched the boy's kneecap, causing him to fall back and squeal.

After a few more moments, Sora was getting anxious to start searching as Donald finished up healing Lucinda.

"Feeling any better, Lucy?" Goofy asked as he hovered over Donald. Lucinda shook her head.

"A little." She said, preparing to stand on her own. She slowly rose to her feet and was glad to see she wasn't swaying, but her legs were still sore and tender. Sora took her by the arms, trying his best to be gentle with her left one, but after less than a minute, he helped her rest back upon the grass.

"I guess it's safe to say you're staying, huh?" He asked. Lucinda looked up at him and nodded.

"I'm sorry. I'd love to go, but-"

"Maybe there's a way at that castle to get them out." Sora smiled, poking Lucinda's head a couple times.

"Ugh. If you find one, get over here fast. I'm gonna see if I can go back to sleep and get them out."

Sora nodded, straightening up. He looked at Stitch patted his head, "Be careful you guys." He said before joining Donald and Goofy.

"Thanks Donald." Lucinda called out to the duck, who turned and waved at her. The three began to jog their way over to the dirt path before bounding out of sight.

Lucinda sighed, feeling her body continue to be ravaged with pain. She laid back and whimpered, her spine feeling as though it was being crushed under her own weight.

"You sleep now?" Stitch asked. Lucinda nodded, shifting around to find a comfortable position.

"I'm gonna try." She groaned. She continued to turn and twist, hoping to find a spot to sleep on that didn't rattle her muscles with pain.

Her back seared, her sides throbbed, her stomach felt as though it was being stabbed. Every time she would move, something felt as though it was twisting.

She ground her teeth and clenched her fists in frustration. She pounded a fist onto the clean grass and screeched, only feeling her gut wrench in agony after that as well.

"Lucinda?" Stitch asked, walking over to her. Lucinda felt tears sting her eyes and fall down her cheeks. Her hands dug into the earth, wanting to cause something else as much pain as she was feeling. How was she going to get Trigger and Bullet out if she couldn't go to sleep?

"Stitch... I don't know what to do." She choked, trying to curl into a ball as best as her broken body could.

What if Trigger and Bullet were in as much pain? She nearly jolted upright as she thought of this. Her hands flew to her forehead, the adrenaline rush nearly making her sick.

"What do I do?" She asked, doubling over once more as Stitch put a hand on her shoulder, "Stitch... I'm so scared-"

Stitch perked up, his ears doing the same as he looked to the distance. Lucinda noticed his sudden, rigid stance and peered up at him.

"Stitch?"

"Someone's over there." He said. Lucinda looked as Stitch pointed, trying to see as best as her quivering body would let her, "I hear them."

"Over there? ... That's where the boys went." She said. Stitch nodded, flexing his tiny claws in case he needed to use them.

"... holy canole, he said he'd be around here. KID WHERE ARE YOU?" Lucinda's mouth gaped as she heard a voice. She looked at Stitch, who growled and began to scuttle towards the voice.

"Stitch! Stitch be careful!" She hissed, still doubled over. Stitch, on all fours, raced towards the voice, whom Lucinda could hear was still shouting out to someone.

"If he ditched me, I swear I'll make sure he- wha... who's there? Hey, hey HEY HEY!"

The voice suddenly began to shout as Stitch's growls cut through his speech. Lucinda tried to get up, but her legs didn't let her. She waited, fear coursing through her body until she saw Stitch scurrying back, carrying something- or someone, by the leg, dragging him across the grass.

"Hey, come on! What is this? I ain't a chew toy, ya stinking mutt!"

Lucinda watched as Stitch finally reached her and he released whoever it was that he'd nabbed.

"Stitch!" Lucinda reprimanded softly, grabbing the experiment by the arm, "I'm sorry, sir, I-" Lucinda was cut off as she got a look at the stranger in the bright moonlight. The figure stood up; he was about her size, but lankier. From what she could see in the dark, a long snout with a round nose at the end was only one of his defining features, as he also touted two round ears on top of his head.

Much like King Mickey's.

He turned to look at Lucinda and he grimaced.

"Eesh, what happened to you, kid?" He asked, his bold, nasally voice hitting uncomfortably against her eardrums. Lucinda frowned asked simply:

"Who are you?"

The tall rodent-like man crossed his arms and chuckled, "Why should I tell you?" he asked. Lucinda's eyes widened and her frown became deeper; she wasn't impressed with the man's snark.

"... Are you looking for someone?"

The figure snorted, "Look, I don't have time for this. Just tell me if you see a kid with stupid purple hair and some Shadow." He snapped, preparing to turn and walk away, at least until Stitch blocked his path, rumbling a menacing growl towards the stranger, "'ey, 'ey, 'ey, I ain't got time for this!"

"You mean Bullet?" Lucinda asked about this 'boy' he knew. The creature's round ears twitched as he turned around and eyed Lucinda.

"...Yeah. You seen him?"

Lucinda laughed weakly and pointed to her head, "He's in here."

"...Say that again?"

"He's with the Shadow; Trigger. My best friend."

The tall mouse-man stared at Lucinda for a moment before chuckling.

"I think them bruises have gone to your head, kid."

"No. they're in there. Trust me."

"Why should I?" Asked the newcomer.

Lucinda frowned, "You can't find him anywhere else, can you?"

"He's a sneaky rat."

Stitch poked the figure's leg, "Like you?"

"'Ey! I'm not a rat! I'm a mouse!" He retaliated, swiping Stitch away. Lucinda stared at the man and squinted her eyes.

"What's your name?" She asked, and the figure put his hands in his pockets and gave a smiling sneer.

"Mortimer. Mortimer Mouse."

"Well, Mr. Mortimer, I promise, Bullet is with me." Lucinda huffed.

"In your head?" Mortimer asked skeptically.

"Shadows have the ability to infiltrate dreams."

"So I've heard." Mortimer droned, sounding halfway convinced that Lucinda knew what she was talking about; he nodded his head towards her and said smply: "Go on."

"Trigger and I were doing that when Bullet joined us. I was woken up before they could get out, and now they're stuck."

"... You're serious?" Mortimer asked, curling a lip. Lucinda nodded slowly, so as not to disturb her aching skull. Mortimer stared at her before sighing, his confident posture now bent in disappointment, "I was not wanting this to get complicated. But you're the first clue I've had to finding the kid all night."

"How do you know him?" Lucinda asked.

Mortimer shrugged, "We've been traveling together for a while. He's been searching for his heart and I've just been along for the ride... anyway. I... I'm having trouble believing Bullet's actually... in your head." Mortimer said, leaning over to look at Lucinda, "But I suppose she would know."

Lucinda looked at Mortimer curiously, "Who?" She inquired.

"You'll see." Mortimer said, leaning over to help Lucinda up, at least until Stitch smacked the tall mouse's hand away.

"Why should we trust you?" Stitch asked Mortimer, who put his hands on his hips.

"Look, if Bullet's in there, I know someone who can probably get him out."

"You're serious?" Lucinda asked desperately, putting a hand on Stitch's small shoulder.

Mortimer rolled his eyes, "If I have to believe you that Bullet's in there, you'll hafta believe me that this person can get him and the Shadow out."

Leaning over to offer his hand, Mortimer offered to help Lucinda up. She looked at him, then at Stitch, who still looked wary of the situation.

"Only if Stitch can come." He grumbled, keeping his ears flattened. Mortimer rolled his eyes again.

"Yeah, yeah, you can come." He said in annoyance.

Lucinda smiled weakly and patted Stitch's head before finally taking Mortimer's hand, hoping that what he was saying was true.

"Alright. Take me there."

**XXXX**

**... :I**

**So... it's been a while. I can't say FOR SURE that I'm totally back on track; all I can say is thanks so much to everyone who continues to read this fic ^^ It's still very much a part of my life, but I can say that it definitely needed that 'sabbatical'. A little rest to clear my mind and let any story clogs unwind ^^ I had also been waiting for Birth by Sleep to play it and get some more information on KH's background. Even though I haven't finished it, YouTube can be a wonderful thing XD**

**Also, I've been trying to go through the early EARLY chapters of the original CotH and update them a bit more. They were written when I was 16, so I'm a little eager to spruce them up a bit XD**

**So, again, I apologize for the wait, and again, thanks for reading! :3**


	7. The Hooded Woman

"Protective bugger, ain't he?" Mortimer asked as he walked next to Lucinda and Stitch. Stitch was carrying Lucinda rather easily with his upper pair of arms, holding her above his head as the girl did her best to remain balanced in his tiny hands.

"Guess so." Lucinda smirked, keeping her arms wrapped around her throbbing ribs. They had been walking for a while now, and Lucinda was curious about something, "Hey, Mortimer; when you were walking, did you see a boy, a duck and... well, did you see three people traveling?"

Mortimer shook his head, "Nope. I've been looking for the kid. He's been out and about for hours. We're staying at this castle up ahead and he decided to go out and look for this Shadow. I think his name's Trigger."

"Yeah. How did he know Trigger was here thou-" Lucinda stopped her question, remembering what Bullet had said about his connection to Trigger. If Trigger really was Bullet's heart, then it's probable that Bullet could easily have sensed his arrival if he were nearby.

"I don't know. The kid's all weird." Mortimer sneered, rolling his eyes.

"And you're still traveling with him?" Lucinda smirked. Mortimer turned away.

"I'm helping out."

"Are you friends? He's an awful lot younger than you."

"Nah. I was actually put in charge of him some time ago. It doesn't matter how smart he is, he's still a kid. Then again, she was always protective over him. Even before Riku came." Mortimer muttered.

"Riku?" Lucinda gasped. Mortimer's eyes went wide and he sucked his lips in, "You- You know Riku? And who's she?" Is this the person we're going to see? How does she know Riku?"

"SHEESH what's with all the questions?" Mortimer asked, walking a little faster. Stitch grumbled in frustration and kept up with the mouse. Lucinda, in the meantime, did all she could to get up and walk on her own, granted her legs were still stabbing with pain.

"Riku is... is my-my boyfriend!"

"Ahh, well good for you." Mortimer answered, waving his hand around in a 'la-dee-daa' manner. Lucinda frowned, unhappy with Mortimer's sudden behavior.

"Please, tell me!"

"The person we're going to see doesn't know Riku, but does know Bullet and Trigger. She's been staying with us-"

"How does she know Trigger?" Lucinda asked, getting help from Stitch as she tried to stand.

"Can't tell you." Mortimer shook his head. Lucinda clenched her fists and wanted to deck the mouse so badly.

"Why not?" She yelled, her voice was hoarse and weak. Mortimer growled in frustration and whipped around to look at her.

"Look, I just CAN'T, okay?"

Lucinda scowled and stared off with Mortimer until he snorted and continued speaking, "Look, I ain't gonna tell you. So you may as well lay off. Besides, no use shouting when you've hardly got the energy to shout with." He turned and continued to walk, leaving a stumbling Lucinda in his wake.

"H-HEY!" She shouted, hearing Stitch scuttling behind her as she did her best to walk on her own. Stitch ran up behind her and picked her up again. They quickly followed Mortimer who sighed through his rounded nose and continued walking.

"Look, you'll figure it out soon enough, okay? I just can't tell you."

Lucinda clenched her fists, sneering, but she let it go for now. Wrapping her arms around her aching ribs, she looked away and around at the rolling hills.

She then realized Sora didn't know she had left. What if he went back and saw she was gone?

There was an immediate, and immense, pounding throughout her skull, and she thought to herself: 'If I don't get help soon, it may not matter.'

Another issue she noticed was that pressure was beginning to build around her body. She looked at Stitch, who seemed equally preoccupied with the air around him.

"You alright, Stitch?" She asked. Stitch snorted through his nose and tried to pick up the pace.

"I feel heavy."

Lucinda frowned; the air and gravity surrounding them was the exact same that she'd felt when she fought Ansem just hours ago. She had hoped to never experience this feeling again so soon; she had hoped to never experience it again altogether. She looked again to notice the dusty path eroding away, revealing a white, stoney path as the road got narrower.

"Are we going the right way?" Lucinda wheezed to Mortimer.

"You think I'd forget 'spooky road of doom?'" The large mouse asked sarcastically. They continued and the sky became darker and more ominous; but what caught Lucinda's attention was the large building that they were approaching.

They walked closer and Lucinda found her mouth slowly gaping at the sight of the enormous building. Stitch chattered something other-worldly as he, too, stared at the castle.

"We enter through the back." Mortimer said, pointing towards a small alley. They walked between the various outcroppings of the castle, passing the mammoth building. There were some smaller shed-like areas hidden behind the castle, Mortimer stopped at one and looked at Lucinda and Stitch, "We're goin' to the basement." He announced. Finally, he opened an oddly-shaped door and began to walk down, Stitch and Lucinda following.

The flight of stairs was immensely long as it wound down a cylindrical hallway. Stitch chattered grumpily as he did his best to carry Lucinda down. The girl looked at him and sighed, "You want me to walk?"

"No. I can carry you." Stitch responded sternly, continuing to walk with her in his arms. Lucinda didn't know how long it took until they finally approached the ground. She shook slightly from the treacherous trek, but saw that a door was right in front of them. Mortimer approached it and knocked three times, then another three in a syncronized manner. Within seconds, the door opened and the mouse motioned for Stitch and Lucinda to follow. Inside was a dimly lit room, of which the walls were a calm, muted ivory. Several chairs surrounded the center of the room, where a pedestal hoisting a crystal orb stood.

Stitch carried Lucinda inside after Mortimer entered, but they were quickly halted. A hand flew out and grabbed Lucinda's right wrist, causing her to retract and fall off of Stitch, crying out in pain.

"Who... who is this? Mortimer, where's Bullet?"

Lucinda looked up where a hooded figure, quite obviously a woman for her feminine voice, berated Mortimer, "He was supposed to be out finding Trigger, and you bring me... this... girl..."

The woman stopped as she looked at Lucinda, who sat up weakly with Stitch's help. Staring at Lucinda, she breathed heavily, and nearly made a move to reliquish her light brown hood, but stopped herself in time, "Princess." She murmured. Quickly, she knelt down next to Lucinda and helped her sit up, "Princess, forgive me."

Lucinda tried to look into the stranger's face, but was unable to.

"Who... who are you?"

"I'm sorry, I can't tell you; but I can help you."

"Help?" Lucinda croaked. The woman nodded, brushing back some of Lucinda's matted, greasy hair and resting her hand on the girl's forehead.

"Trigger and Bullet... they're... how did they enter your mind?"

"How did you...?"

"No time; I have to get them out before your body is damaged more. Forgive me princess; this will hurt."

As the stranger's hand gripped Lucinda's forehead even more, a bolt what felt like lightning shot through Lucinda's head and down her spine. Her vision became engrossed with a blinding white light and her throat seared with both pain from the intrusive magic and her screams. Her face felt as though it were on fire; but as a sudden wave of lightheadedness claimed her, and the heaviness of carrying two more souls within her was released, her vision went black and her body, limp.

XXXX

Once Mortimer's vision wasn't hindered by the blinding light, he gaped, not only at the sight of Lucinda's body lying pale and lifeless in the hooded woman's arms, but also at the forms of Bullet and Trigger as they lay on opposite sides of Lucinda.

"She... She wasn't kiddin'."

The hooded woman laid Lucinda down on the marble floor reverently, but then turned her attention to Trigger. Her gloved hands slowly reached out to touch one of his winding antennae.

"It's been so long." She whispered, "You've hardly changed."

Mortimer shuffled over to look at Bullet. He 'harrumphed' and leaned over, putting his hands on his hips.

"You're more trouble than you're worth, runt." He griped, but was reprimanded by a swift glare from the hooded woman, "Well he is!"

Stitch wandered over to Lucinda and eyed her sadly, "Lucinda okay?" He asked. The woman slowly reached out to pet Stich's head and nodded.

"She should be okay."

"I dunno." Mortimer said, and he walked over to Lucinda and pulled back her left sleeve gingerly, "Her injuries look pretty gruesome."

The hooded figure leaned over and cursed, getting a look at Lucinda's injured arm, "Not only that," She murmured, but she also noticed the large bruise on the girl's stomach, "Do you know what happened?"

"Not a clue." Mortimer responded, standing up and walking away, but Stitch raised his hand and wiggled in place.

"Ooh ooh, she got into a fight!"

Mortimer rolled his eyes, "Thank you, Captain Obvious."

"Whatever happened, those wounds need attention." Murmured the hooded woman, but just as she stood to retrieve anything that could help the princess, wisps of dark energy consumed one of the corners of the room. Out of the ebony portal stepped another cloaked figure, only his coat was black.

"What's going on in here?" He asked, his oily voice demanding, "That force we felt. What are you all doing?"

"Vexen." The woman muttered at the appearance of the man. Mortimer shrugged and pointed to the floor.

"We found 'em."

Jumping slightly, Vexen removed his hood to reveal long, stringy sand-colored hair and wide, aged green eyes.

"Them? What are you babbling abo-" Stepping over, he found the figures lying on the floor and his mouth didn't know whether to drop or smile, "... It's them... They really did survive."

The hooded woman clenched her fists, "So you did help with the sie-"

"Not now." Vexen chided as he pushed the woman out of the way. He hovered over Lucinda and Trigger and stared in malicious wonder, "Good gracious." He clucked, "What in the world happened here?" Vexen took a closer look at Lucinda and saw her injured arm and multiple injuries.

Mortimer shrugged and rolled his eyes again, "We were just askin' that when you showed up."

"I wonder..." Vexen whispered, "How her mind has held up after all these years. Look at how much she's grown." He leaned over to pick the girl up.

"What are you doing?" Asked the hooded woman.

Vexen looked at her coldly and sniffed, "It's enough that we're letting your friends stay with you. Think of this as a bit of payment for your housing."

With that, Vexen turned to leave, not listening to the woman as she hissed a 'friends my rump!'.

"Don't you dare harm her!" The woman shouted, going after Vexen. Stitch growled and bolted after the man, but Vexen simply turned and kicked his heel onto the floor, causing a shard of ice to erupt from the floor and encase Stitch.

"Don't you worry, I intend to keep her alive. She has much to answer for." Vexen grinned, and with that, he turned to leave, the dark gate in the corner dissolving with his exit.

**_XXXX_**

_Another chapter! Wooo yay_

_I hope you enjoyed it! I had to get past a bit of blockage, but once it got rolling, it was super fun. So this chapter is part filler in a way. Sorry about that ^^;_

_Lucinda, Trigger, Bullet, hooded woman (C) me_

_Everything else is (C) Square Enix and/or Disney_


	8. Unremembered

She felt so heavy. Laying on a stiff cushion, Lucinda tried to budge herself and move, but she barely had the strength left to do so.

"I think she's waking up." A hushed voice seemed so far away as she returned to consciousness.

"About time." squawked another as Lucinda could hear footsteps around her, "It's been hours."

Opening her weary eyes, Lucinda could barely see in the softly-lit room. Two figures surrounded her, cloaked in pitch-black. One of them could very well have been her age; pale and small with a swoop of slate-colored hair covering a good half of his face, leaving one vivid blue eye visible.

Across from him was an older man, his long, stringy blonde hair falling towards Lucinda as he peered at her with grass-green eyes. They stood above her as she laid on the floor, groaning as she shuffled underneath a thin, pristine-white blanket. Another set of footsteps thumped over and Lucinda saw the mammoth body of a chestnut-haired man, his locks curled strictly into the air.

"... So she lives." He grumbled, "How are you, Lucinda?"  
Lucinda stared at the three men, her face turning inquisitive.

"... Who are you?" She asked. The eyes of each man widened as they looked to each other.

"You don't remember us?" Asked the youngest as he kneeled next to Lucinda. She shook her head quickly and looked back up to the older two.

"I... I can barely remember coming here. Where am I?"

The blonde man helped Lucinda sit up as the tallest man provided a small, shallow bowl full of water. Offering it to the girl, the oldest member began to explain: "This is Castle Oblivion. You were brought here by one of our guests, who sought your friend, Trigger. I am Vexen. This," He motioned to the youngest member across from him, "Is Zexion; and this" He motioned to the taller man, "Is Lexeaus. If you would recall your childhood, you'll find us there, but only by different names that we no longer recognize."

"... I don't remember you at all."

"But you remember Trigger?" Zexion asked. Lucinda looked at him, almost angrily.

"Of course. He's my best friend."

"But... but we grew up together for nearly two years, You Trigger, and me." Zexion said coldly. Lucinda shook her head once more.

"I'm sorry, I don't remember." She insisted.

"What do you remember?" Vexen asked calmly.

"Of what?" Lucinda asked, nearly out of breath for her pain and fear. Vexen motioned with his hand.

"Your childhood." He replied. Lucinda stared at him, trying to avoid looking back at Zexion as he stared at her.

"Well... I grew up with my Uncle, Ansem."

"Ansem the Wise." Vexen murmured. Lucinda eyed Vexen strangely.

"You know, I've heard people say that twice in the past Twenty-Four hours, yet I don't recall him being called that." She said. Vexen's eyes flickered as nodded.

"I see. Go on."

"... My parents passed by the time I was two weeks old, so Ansem raised me."

"With the help of your aunts."

"Sort of. They were still repairing their relationship from the custody fight when the castle was overrun."

Vexen went silent. He stared at Lucinda, then his eyes darted to Zexion before returning to the girl.

"What do you remember of Ansem?"

"... Like what?" Lucinda asked. Vexen thought for a moment before deciding on the question:

"What did he look like?"

"... Don't you remember?" Lucinda asked warily. Vexen chortled; but began to speak.

"White hair. Tan skin. Eyes about the same color as yours..."

Lucinda nodded, "That would be him. How did you know him?"

Vexen had to bite his lip. He couldn't answer. He placed Lucinda back onto the bed and turned around to nibble at his gloved finger. Zexion stared at Lucinda intently before standing and rushing over to Vexen. They whispered something heatedly, causing Lucinda to feel apprehensive.

"What's going on?" She asked hoarsely. Vexen turned around and smiled.

"My dear, we're simply trying to figure out how you don't remember us when you remember everything else so intact. I was one of your uncle's most trusted apprentices."

Something ticked in Lucinda's head.

Trusted apprentice

Blonde hair

She tried to sit up and recall what scant memories she had of the blonde haired man; however, as his memory flew through her head, she could hear that the voices were far too different. In her excitement, she exerted herself too much and doubled over.

"What are you doing?" Vexen hissed before kneeling over Lucinda and forcing her to lay back down.

"You... Were you his only apprentice?"

"Heavens no, there were six of us. Zexion and Lexaeus included."

"Was there another blonde man?"

Zexion and Lexaeus turned quickly to look at her. Vexen's face went taut, but he smiled something strange and shook his head.

"I-I'm afraid not."

"Ansem... I saw him earlier." Lucinda coughed, "I can remember this man; blonde, a deep voice. Ansem said that this guy was once a close friend, but ended up betraying him; even though I can hear him trying to protect me. You're sure you don't-"

"My dear, your memory has enough cracks in it as it is. Right now, it's your assisstance we need in a different matter."

Lucinda blinked her eyes at the change of subject, but before she could ask anything, Vexen gently placed his hand over Lucinda's left arm.

"Your injured arm. It holds something that we could use."

"What do you mean?" Lucinda breathed. Vexen grinned.

"Apart from your friends, Sora and his accomplices, that have found their way into the castle-"

"-Sora?-"

"-So has another within the hours that you have slept."

Lucinda's eyes widened as Vexen gripped her arm ever so slightly. Her eyes squinted in pain and she gasped and she realized who she was talking about.

"No-"

"Oh, yes." Vexen smirked.

"How?" Lucinda choked as Vexen continued to hold her arm.

"I'm not quite sure myself. But after an encounter with him not too long ago, I have nearly everything I need to create a foil for him."

"Foil?"

Vexen's grin turned nearly homicidal, "He will prove most useful to us; as will you, your highness."

Vexen retrieved a device from within his cloak before peeling back Lucinda's blood-encrusted sleeve. He displayed a syringe-like appendage embedded in the tiny machine before prodding it into Lucinda's arm. She shrieked, her throat now feeling raw from doing so quite often anymore. The device began to glow, beeping furiously as Lucinda could feel her energy draining.

The tiny warmth in her heart was dissipating.

She fought to breath and cursed at her inability to move as Vexen shoved his knee into her ribs. She opened her eyes and looked at Zexion, who just stood there, watching. She felt humiliated, like a pig for the slaughter.

"Trigger!... Ri... RIKU!"

XXXX

Sand-brown eyes flew open. Upon one of the couches, Bullet shakily sat up, breathing heavily as he looked around.

"Mornin', sunshine."

Bullet looked up to find Mortimer lounging in a chair across from him. In the other chair rested the hooded woman; next to her laid Trigger, curled into a ball.

Instantly his face tightened.

"Where's Lucinda?" He barked. Mortimer folded his arms behind his head.

"Vexen took 'er." He answered. Bullet stood up, swaying slightly as he did. He looked over to find Stitch still encased in ice, "Yeah... He did that too." He said, brushing the oddity off.

Bullet snarled as he walked over to Stitch, placing a foot on the ice.

"You little rat. You helped them."

"What are you talkin' about?" Mortimer

"Bullet?" The hooded woman asked, "Are you-"

"I'm going to get her. When I come back, he'd better be ready." Bullet ordered, pointing to Trigger.

"What are you-"

Before the woman could ask anything else, Bullet had made a dark portal and was gone.

Stomping her foot on the ground, the woman gave a growl.

"Why doesn't anyone LISTEN TO ME?" She shrieked. Near her, a soft groan was heard. She twisted around to find Trigger waking up, his antennae twitching.

'Where... Lucinda?' Trigger whispered.

"Are you alright?" The woman asked, sitting next to him again. Trigger shook his head as he stirred, doing his best to get up.

'Lucinda?... Bullet!'

"He went to get Lucinda."

'No, NO!' Trigger shouted. Mortimer stood up as Trigger bounded off of the couch, as though to search for a way out. The Shadow saw the door, but was cut off by the sight of Stitch encased in ice, '...Stitch?'

"He was helpin' Lucinda while you and Bullet were stuck in her mind." Mortimer said, "By the way, that's not the way to get to her." He added, pointing to the door.

"Trigger, what's wrong?" The hooded woman asked. Trigger put his head in his hands before turning to her.

'How do you know my name... oh why do I bother anymore?' He cried, flailing his arms out to the sky. The hooded woman watched him, seemingly wanting to help, 'Bullet saw Lucinda's memories as we were trapped in her dreams. I explained to him what she and I have been doing since we awoke in Hollow Bastion after Nine years. We'd been trapped; but we were set free. Bullet... Bullet knew someone we were at odds with... Oh no... oh no, no, no... when he gets to Lucinda... Oh, no... I have to get to her!'

"Trigger... we don't know where she is." The woman said as calmly as she could.

'THEN HOW CAN BULLET GET TO HER?' Trigger's transmission pierced through the woman's and Mortimer's skulls, 'And so you both can hear me?' He added. Mortimer plugged one of his large ears with a finger and bellyached.

"I'll be lucky to hear at ALL anymore now."

'And you... You've been helping Bullet... You knew her too.'

Mortimer popped his finger out of his ear and grinned at Trigger.

"Like I told the girl, Me and Bullet knew her LONG before your buddy, Riku."

XXXX

Lucinda could barely keep her eyes open. She huffed on the bed as Vexen was off somewhere, doing something only he knew. Her mouth was dry, her arm on fire, not like it needed to feel that way again. Her body felt as though it would crumble at any given moment.

He'd taken Riku's light. The piece of soul he'd given her that she cherished so much. He'd stolen it. Lucinda layed on the futon, unable to cry for her lack of strength.

"Ze... X- Zexi-i-on..." She choked. When she could open her eyes, they were blurred with tears, "Please... please..."

"You remember me?" Came his voice. Lucinda heaved for air, trying to ignore the throbbing in every part of her being.

"I'm sorry... I... I-I don't... please... please just... just let me go."

Zexion stared at her, "I have no place to take you. Bullet will probably be fusing with your 'precious' Trigger soon. You have nothing left, unless Riku finds out you're here. You may as well let things unravel."

"No... No Zexion... I don't... Trigger... I ... can't...please... I have to see him... one last time."

"It's none of my concern."

"But it's MINE." A flurry of darkness overtook one of the walls of the room, and through it marched Bullet. He looked down upon the floor and saw Lucinda, laying on a futon, pale and white. She had heard his voice, but couldn't move to see him.

"Bul... Bullet?" She breathed. The boy walked over to her, staring at the girl as she lay near death.

"What happened?" Bullet asked demandingly. Zexion 'hmphed' and crossed his arms.

"Vexen saw fit to use her for an experiment. It seems Riku has graced us with his presence in the basement, and Vexen wishes to test his strength, perhaps even goad him back to the Darkness."

"N-no..." Lucinda huffed.

Zexion turned his nose up at Lucinda, "She harbored light that shared a particular... scent... that was similar to Riku's. So he extracted it."

"Are you still using her?" Bullet asked. Zexion looked at Lucinda emotionlessly and turned away.

"She is no longer of any consequence to us."

Lucinda gulped back a shot of pain as it racked her spine. She opened her eyes to Bullet and smiled as best as she could.

"Bullet." She whispered.

He did not return the smile.

"Let's go." He grumped, pulling out a vile from a pocket and dousing her with the liquid. Lucinda breathed and, within seconds, her body felt lighter, if only slightly. She delighted in being able to stand, but Bullet's demeanor worried her.

"What's wrong?" She asked. Bullet stared at her. And, as frightening as it was; she could indeed see traces of Trigger in that snarl. She gasped and quickly asked: "Did you and Trigger... did you fuse-"

"DOES IT LOOK LIKE WE FUSED YOU IDIOT?"

Lucinda jumped at Bullet's fury. She frowned shot back: "There's no need to get touchy!"

"I'll be as touchy as I want; NOW GO."

"Maybe I'm tired of being bossed around!"

Bullet grabbed Lucinda's still-injured left arm, causing her knees to buckle as she gasped. She looked up at him to see the hand that held her arm as it began to radiate with an ominous dark energy.

"Maybe I don't care what you think."

Lucinda winced loudly before being thrown towards the portal. She turned back to find Bullet advancing her way, both of his hands now glowing a frightening black.

"Now go. We have to talk; You, me, and Trigger."

**_XXXX_**

_Lol I this is the second 'chapter-in-a-day for this story. I need to do this more often, but not too often so I don't make too many mistakes; then again, this fic needs some updating XD I hope everyone's enjoying, and reviews are welcome. Thanks for reading!_

_Lucinda, Trigger, Bullet, Hooded woman (C) me_

_everyone and everything else (C) Disney and/or Square Enix_


	9. No Time To Breathe

Lucinda stumbled through the portal, Bullet hot on her heels. She nearly lost her balance, but was quickly aided as an arm caught her. She watched as the cloaked figure then moved between her and Bullet.

"You..." Lucinda whispered, recognizing the figure from earlier, but Bullet continued his advance.

"Leave us." He strictly ordered, but before the hooded woman could retort, their minds were pierced by a:

'DON'T YOU TOUCH HER!' from Trigger. The Shadow bounded over and stood between Bullet and the girls. Bullet stared at him and scowled as The Hooded Woman backed away with Lucinda.

"What are you so angry about, Bullet?" She asked angrily. Bullet pointed to Lucinda, his finger curling in fury.

"You... you helped them kill her."

'Lucinda, move.' Trigger said, 'Apparently, that 'fairy' that split our mom was more than just a homewrecker.'

Lucinda jumped back, "Wh-what are you talking about?"

Trigger balled his fists as Bullet seethed, not knowing whether to face his 'brother' or the princess; even so, he couldn't get to Lucinda as the hooded woman moved over to block any way of Bullet harming her.

'To be honest, she wasn't a freaking 'fairy' she was a flipping _witch_.' Trigger sneered, which made Bullet throw a searing glare at his other half.

"YOU HOLD YOUR TONGUE! MALEFICENT WAS EVERYTHING TO ME!"

Lucinda thought a brick had hit her in the head.

_Maleficent?_

"Are you _KIDDING ME_?" She cried out, "Maleficent?"

Bullet's snarl was then back on her full-force, "I saw what you said to her; what you did to her... You helped them kill her-"

Trigger backed away closer to Lucinda and faced his 'brother', 'I would have helped if I could, so you may as well include me in your little hissy-fit!'

Lucinda couldn't believe this; things had just gone from confusing to downright mindboggling

"Bullet, she wanted something from me that didn't belong to her."

"Oh spare me." Bullet spat back callously. The hooded woman's grasp on Lucinda's shoulder tightened.

"Bullet, Maleficent was a threat to our universe. Perhaps even to you." She said, trying to make reason with the enraged boy.

"Hardly." Mortimer's voice cut through the throng of seriousness as he continued to lounge.

"You remember what I said, kid?" He asked Lucinda before turning his attention to the hooded woman, "That she was protective of that bugger long before Riku? I meant every word."

Bullet's growl remained. Lucinda fought for words as she remembered the witch she hated so much.

Trigger snorted, 'You better not think you're still gonna fuse with me, buddy.'

Bullet's eye twitched as he looked down at his 'brother'. Lucinda jumped and looked down at her best friend as he continued to stand between her and Bullet. The hooded woman's hand gripped Lucinda's shoulder a second time.

"So you're going to remain in that pathetic form for the rest of your life?" Bullet hissed.

Trigger laughed softly, 'I'd rather remain in this body than let you have any control over me or my heart.'

"OUR heart." Bullet corrected him. Trigger shook his head.

'It doesn't matter. Whatever you plan on doing, I'll have no part in it.'

Bullet moved quickly. His pale hand bolted down to grab Trigger's round head as he slammed it against the floor. Lucinda screamed as The Hooded Woman moved to pry the boy off of the Shadow.

"BULLET TUESTI GET OFF OF HIM NOW!"

"DON'T-" Bullet screamed, looking at the hooded woman, "-CALL ME THAT!"

Lucinda was about to help when she heard a cracking sound behind her. She looked at Mortimer, but he, like her, was watching the scene unfold. He looked at her and noticed the sound too. They peered over to find Stitch clawing his way out of the ice before fully breaking free and racing over to Bullet, his claws and fangs drawn. He raced between Lucinda's legs and latched his wide mouth on Bullet's skull, prompting an enraged scream from the small teenager. Bullet grabbed one of Stitch's legs and did his best to pry him off. Mortimer leaped from his seat and grabbed another leg as they tussled with the experiment.

Lucinda helped Trigger as he sat up, shaking from the sudden attack. The two looked as Mortimer clenched his fist, prompting a dark energy to emanate from it. As his power reached it's peak, his hand barrelled down upon Stitch; but the blue menace detached himself in time for Mortimer's punch to hit Bullet square in the cranium.

Time seemed to stand still as Bullet swayed for a moment, his sand-brown eyes lost focus and his body succumbed to gravity. Several wisps of dark smoke rose from the spot that Mortimer had hit him.

A collective wave of dumbfoundedness had hit the group. They looked at the unconscious form of Bullet, then at Mortimer, who had grabbed his head as he tried to register what he'd done.

"_Mortimer."_ The Hooded Woman hissed.

"OH... NO." The mouse gawked, staring at the teenager.

Trigger whipped around to look at Lucinda, gasping for air, "Are you alright?"

The princess doubled over, heaving for air. She looked at Trigger, her eyes wide and afraid, "How did he see..? How did you know him and... and Maleficent..?"

Trigger shook his head furiously, as though trying to rattle the thoughts away from his mind, 'After you woke up, we talked for a while. I was able to show him some memories, yours and mine; he didn't seem interested in showing me any of his, at least until he saw all our interactions with Maleficent. I saw him getting angrier and angrier with each one. And then he showed me his memories. Lucinda... they were dark... He's been allied with Maleficent since after the siege; we were barely Four years old; he left our parents for her; he was intelligent enough to find his way to her.'

"But why?"

'He considered her to be the reason as to why we are, which she is, but he saw her in more than that of a motherly way; he - he _worshipped _her, Luce.' Trigger hissed, 'Kissed her robes, fawned at her every touch... Oh God Lucinda... Maleficent... MADE me-'

"NO." Lucinda said firmly, taking Trigger by his tiny shoulders, "No, no, no! I don't care if she's the reason why you are WHAT you are, but she did not MAKE you WHO you are; so help me if you think that again-"

She couldn't finish this sentence. Her voice ran thin and she had to breathe. Trigger stared up at her as he smoothed back some of her dank hair.

"Trigger... I hurt..." She whispered.

'...We have to get out of here... We have to find Sora!' Trigger said.

The Hooded Woman quickly stepped over after assessing Bullet's damage, "Princess, are you-"

"WHO ARE YOU?" Lucinda suddenly said as firmly as she could, "I've been meeting too many people who say they know me that I don't know, so tell me, WHO ARE YOU?"

The Hooded Woman stood still, and silent. Her visage brought discomfort to Lucinda, with her face completely hidden in the darkness.

Trigger's antennae twitched softly.

'...Do I know you?' He asked, his question mixed with curiosity and protection. Lucinda looked at him in confusion as The Hooded Woman's hands clenched; but within time, they relaxed, and she looked at both children.

"No. We do not know each other; but I know OF you. I resided in the Gardens, where Ansem ruled."

'The Gardens?' Lucinda murmured. The Woman looked at the princess and sighed.

"I know your memory has been effected quite tremendously by the siege and by Ansem's apprentice."

Lucinda straightened up, her back ached, but her mind seemed to work her body on its own.

"For now, Your Highness; please just call me Iris."

Trigger looked back up at Lucinda and he became determined, 'Iris, we have to go.'

"She's much too ill." Iris said firmly, shaking her head. Trigger pointed to Bullet, appearing anxious.

'So what are we to do if he wakes up?'

"I ain't gonna be here when he does." Mortimer said, finally gathering his bearings. Iris turned to spot him walking across the room, "I'm outta here!"

"Mortimer! You're supposed to-"

"The witch is dead!" Mortimer hissed, getting in Iris' face, "I ain't babysittin' no more!"

"Then why did you stick with it for so long?"

"Because it was an easy job!"

"You knew, didn't you? That Maleficent was dead?" Iris said, crossing her arms. Mortimer sucked his lips in and his posture shrank, "That's why you're trying to leave, isn't it?"

"That little rat is INSANE. You saw it for yourself; which, by the way," he said as he pointed to Bullet with a smirk, "Good job."

Mortimer barely had time to react before Iris' hand grabbed his long nose and yanked him down to her eye level.

"How. Dare. You." She growled. Mortimer, however, kept smiling.

"I could tell 'em." He said with a slimy voice, his eyes trailing to Lucinda and Trigger.

"And I could tell Bullet where you went when he wakes up."

"You wouldn't dare!"

"TRY ME."

Lucinda and Trigger stared intently at the argument. By now, Stitch had joined the duo and was watching with equal confusion.

"Unless." Iris spoke; "You help them find their friends." She said, gesturing to Lucinda and Trigger. Mortimer looked at the trio and appeared as though he'd smelled something foul.

"You've GOT to be kiddin' me! The only 'finding' I'm doing is finding my Minnie back home."

Iris laughed at him.

"QUEEN Minnie? Oh Mortimer, she's out of your league. Not to mention... she's kind of MARRIED."

"Who cares? She can't resist me." Mortimer said, slicking back his ears.

"Minne?" Lucinda asked, trying to find a way to sit that didn't bother her injuries.

"Wife of King Mickey." Iris explained drolly, "Mortimer thinks he can charm his way back into her heart."

"Mickey's been gone long enough." Mortimer said, as though that was justification enough for seeking out the queen's affection.

Lucinda remembered tiny King Mickey as he had arrived just before Riku closed the door some countless hours earlier. She had heard much of him from Donald and Goofy, and a few mentions of Minnie came tumbling back into her memory.

An idea clicked in her head; she had to work fast before pain wiped it away, "You know, Mortimer; maybe if you showed Queen Minnie just how much stronger you are, she'd be quite intrigued." Trigger's slow stare to Lucinda was hard to avoid, but she kept going as Mortimer turned to her, looking inquisitive, "Last I heard of King Mickey, he was stuck with someone I know behind the Door to Darkness. That someone, from what I've heard, is here in this castle. If you can find him, you might find The King and take him back to Minnie; I'm sure she'd be most impressed."

'What. Are. You. Doing?' Came Trigger's slow transmission. Mortimer smiled and began to ponder as the Lucinda leaned over to speak to Trigger.

"I was taken to these guys earlier, they said Riku was here; and where Riku is, King Mickey might be!" She hissed, trying to avoid the slew of uncomfortable memories that came with thinking of Vexen, Ienzo and Lexaeus; "We need to get to them, and I can't fight! Maybe we can even find Sora and the guys while we're at it!"

'Riku? Seriously? ...So THAT'S how you're going to get this guy to be our chaperone?' Trigger could barely keep tabs on everything that was happening.

"... more or less." Lucinda said, shrugging, "So." She began again to Mortimer, "You keep us safe, and I'll lead you to my friend. Deal?"

'WE DON'T EVEN KNOW-' Lucinda pinched Trigger's shoulder as firmly as she could while Mortimer had his back turned.

"You know... Something tells me this could be one big con-"

Bullet's groaning voice shattered his train of thought, but before anyone could move, Mortimer was grabbing Lucinda and Trigger and high-tailing it up the stairs with Stitch hot on their heels.

"BUT THEN AGAIN WHO'S TO JUDGE, SEE YA 'IRIS', YOU PROMISED, LATER!"

Iris watched and turned to see Bullet as he stirred.

"I'm tired of being unconscious... Where... Where are they?" He asked, barely able to stand up straight.

"Mortimer is gone." Iris announced, hoping to buy Lucinda and Trigger some time.

Bullet's snarl intensified as he swayed, staring at Iris, "Where? WHERE DID HE GO?"

"I don't know. You were knocked unconscious and he fled."

"THEN WHERE'S TRIGGER?"

'Gone as well. Vexen returned and was unhappy to see them both here. Said they'd overstayed their welcome."

Bullet stared at her before grabbing her collar and slamming her against a wall, his fists emanating the same dark energy as Mortimer.

"YOU JUST LET THEM LEAVE? YOU COULDN'T TELL THEM THEY WERE STAYING HERE? THIS IS YOUR ROOM! DO YOU KNOW HOW LONG IT TOOK ME TO FIND HIM?" He screamed, "THOSE IDIOTS, THEY TOOK AWAY EVERYTHING THAT MATTERED TO ME!"

Even though Bullet couldn't see Iris' face, he could tell she was scowling at her.

"Why did Maleficent mean more to you than your own parents? They loved you, more than anything, did everything for you-"

"Except for Mom; and you."

Iris bowed her head, not fighting a bit against the teenager, "Bullet, I... We're sorry."

"Shut up." Bullet said sharply, shoving 'Iris' away, "Maleficent knew what I required more than my parents ever did. Mom thought she could get away with warping me, while Dad was painfully oblivious. I always wanted to be anywhere but around him, neither of them understood my needs."

"Maleficent didn't either, she simply abused your condition."

Bullet stared at her, his lips trembling, "Which way did Trigger go?"

"I don't know." 'Iris' said, her voice slightly trembling. Bullet reared his fist back, it began to glow with an even darker force.

"I SAID-"

A warp in the atmosphere caused them to halt. A dark portal opened in the corner of the room, where Vexen and another walked through; it was a boy, taller than Bullet, with white hair and ocean-colored eyes.

Bullet's face contorted with rage once more as the darkness around his hand pulsed as he spotted the teenager; the one who had taken Maleficent's favor for that short time.

"You!" he hissed.

It was Riku.

_XXXX_

_Oh gosh :I it seems like I get on a roll and then I let this fic go for a while._

_Anyway, I hope it's still enjoyable, and not too congested. I'd enjoy hearing what you think ^^_

_Lucinda, Trigger, Bullet, Iris (C) me_

_everything else (C) Square Enix and/or Disney_


	10. Unlikely Alliances

Up the winding staircase, through the small back alley and into the foreboding castle raced Mortimer, still clenching onto Lucinda as Trigger and Stitch followed madly.

Once Mortimer closed the front doors, he hunched over to catch his breath as Lucinda, once more, fell to her knees. Her eyes were watering as she clenched her ribs with her good arm; her left arm, on the other hand, seemed to dangle weakly at her side. Trigger was quick to her side as Stitch began to sniff around the area.

'You okay?' Trigger asked, his transmission broken from exhaustion. Lucinda couldn't answer directly. She shook her head quickly, trying to swallow away the burning sensation in her throat.

"Let's hope What's-Her-Face sticks to her word." Mortimer barked, looking around the area, "Now... Which way to to the Shrimp King?"

Lucinda huffed, her shallow breathing soon becoming puffs of coughing laughter. Mortimer looked at her, unimpressed.

"...I don't know." She choked.

Mortimer's lips slowly pursed.

"What do you mean, 'you don't know'?" He clicked. Lucinda fought to keep her eyes focused.

"I just know they're somewhere in this castle. Vexen didn't tell me where. No one did."

For a second, it looked like Mortimer was going through a slow-motion meltdown until finally he stopped and straightened up, saying, "Well, I guess we'll start by going through that door." He droned, pointing at a large, wooden door that lay quite a ways away.

"No!" Came Stitch's small voice as it echoed from a corner. Once everyone's attention was on him, he pointed to the wall, "We go down here."

Trigger cocked his head and bumbled over to where Stitch was and pressed his clawed hands on the wall.

'There's a door here.' He said, 'But the wall's sealed... I can't get under or over. Why go this way?' Trigger asked Stitch. The experiment's ears twitched.

"Doesn't smell like Sora."

"So that must be where The King is." Mortimer said, walking over interestedly. "But... how do we get through? I'm no expert at makin' them corridors like your brother-"

'DON'T. CALL. HIM. MY. BROTHER.' Trigger's transmission was thick and brutal as he advanced on Mortimer with each step, his antennae folding back threateningly, 'I don't care about any freaking connection, I want nothing to do with that idiot.'

Mortimer stood up straight as Trigger walked over to Lucinda, who continued to rest on the cool, marble floor.

"Riku's down there, then?" She asked, her voice wavering and thin.

'That's what Stitch says. But even so, we don't know how to get-'

A cracking sound split through the air, followed by Mortimer's voice.

"GEEZ LOUISE, RAT-BOY!"

Lucinda and Trigger looked to find Stitch prying the wall off of its foundation. He chucked it effortlessly and snuffed at the dust before looking through the hall.

"Stairs!" He announced without turning around.

Lucinda struggled to stand with Trigger quick to her side. Mortimer walked over to her and sighed.

"Come on, your royal grossness." He said, leaning down for Lucinda to climb onto his lithe frame. As Lucinda rode piggyback, Stitch led the way down the stairway as Trigger brought up the end, keeping an eye on his friend. He took one last look at the entryway of the castle before rushing down into the unknown depths.

**_XXXX_**

Bullet stared at Riku, who seemed to look at the former from under his nose. A haughty expression was plastered onto his pale face.

"Vexen." 'Iris' said, trying to keep her hands from shaking, "W-What brings you here?"

With an icy giggle, Vexen presented Riku to her, "I wanted to show Lucinda what she helped me create."

Bullet's violent stance faltered, "Create?" He inquired, taking another look at Riku, who crossed his arms.

"Indeed." Vexen croaked, "Utilizing the energy she harbored from Riku, along with data I collected from the very boy himself, I was able to create this replica."

Bullet stiffened.

"So you didn't send Lucinda and Trigger away?" He asked, his glare slowly aiming towards 'Iris'.

Vexen's expression was that of annoyance, "What? No. Are you telling me they're not here? I would have expected the girl to stay for Riku, or at least to find out what became of the energy I harvested from her."

Bullet looked at 'Iris' for a few seconds more until he announced, "I WILL become whole." He looked at Vexen and walked over to the Riku Replica, who stared back at Bullet coldly, "And I may need this Replica's help."

"We already have plans." Vexen said, shooing away Bullet with a flick of his gloved hand.

"Vexen, if he can get me to Lucinda, I can get to Trigger and finally become whole! Please!"

"Who?" The Replica inquired. Vexen shook his head.

"She does not matter."

"She matters very much to him, if you retrieved that puppet's life force from her." 'Iris' said softly. Vexen snorted.

"It was _Riku's_ life force. It just happened to be inhabiting _her_ body." Vexen snapped back.

"So what is it that you plan to do with this boy?" Iris asked.

Vexen stuck out his chest, "We're going to use him to lure the real Riku back to the Darkness. Marluxia and the other neophytes have used Namine to rewrite the boy, Sora's, memories. They seem to think they can take over a group that's so much more than them."

'Iris' gasped, "Isn't Sora the boy Lucinda and Trigger were traveling with?" She asked. Vexen shrugged.

"I believe so, but it makes no difference to me. With this replica, we'll show them their place, and bring Riku back to where he belongs."

Bullet snorted, "Then Lucinda does matter in this journey."

Vexen looked back to Bullet, perturbed.

"How so?"

Bullet looked at 'Iris', his sneer turned into a grin, "You let them out into the castle while I was unconscious, didn't you?"

'Iris' didn't answer, but her shrinking posture spoke enough. Vexen looked at 'Iris' as well, visibly unhappy.

"I'll let Lexaeus know of this little mistake, 'pet'." He sneered, causing 'Iris' to tremble slightly.

"If the real Riku finds Lucinda first, she could be that replica's foil. Trigger as well, that Heartless still imagines he dwells within the harbor of light." Bullet said, pondering the situation.

Vexen's mouth curved downward, "I don't have time to help you in your games. While I admit, the girl could be damage to the time limit we have..." He paused, looked at the Replica, then to Bullet, "Why don't you go look for her?"

Bullet's eyes widened, "I thought you didn't want me going into the castle?"

"This is a different matter." Vexen said, looking at 'Iris', "For now, we have plans that need no meddling in, and if you can get to Lucinda and your other half first and save us time and energy, then you are welcome to search."

Riku Replica coughed in the background, gaining everyone's attention, "So... what's going on here?"

Vexen walked back to the puppet, "_Your_ plans remain unchanged. You will search out Riku down in the basement while this boy searches out someone who could hinder our progress to bring Riku over to us. But we need to hurry, time is of the essence."

The Replica looked out among the two others in the room as Bullet turned to leave, "Who are they?"

Vexen smiled hollowly. "Nothing more than Fractured Beings; cousins of us in the Organization, in a sense."

**_XXXX_**

He'd heard the plans.

Rushing through a Dark Corridor, his red robes billowing, DiZ hurried to quell Bullet's plan.

He'd already seen Riku. The boy was doing well so far within the castle, but with this new replica after him; would the test bring him out on top of the Darkness? He had to allow the boy to do that on his own.

As for his family, they, quite possibly, stood in great danger should they be caught by either Bullet or the Replica.

He dug through a satchel and pulled out several blank cards, enough to hopefully get them through the basements to Riku. He did his best to imprint something upon each card to get through the blank rooms; he put these cards and several necessities into the pack. Afterwards, he opened another dark gate and tossed the pack, hoping it would reach the small group. He kept the portal open so slightly that he could see what was happening.

It would be the first time he'd seen Lucinda and Trigger in nine years.

Hobbling down a staircase was a tall, black creature, hefting something upon his back.

"I think she's asleep."

'I wouldn't be surprised.'

DiZ watched as he recognized the strands of mint hair that hid Lucinda's face as it was half-buried in Mortimer's shoulder. He looked down at the mouse's feet and instantly knew that the small Shadow was Trigger; he was looking up at Lucinda from behind Mortimer, making sure she was safe and secure. He did not recognize the small blue creature that sniffed at the floor, his stub tail wagging furiously until his face came into contact with the satchel.

Stitch stopped and rubbed his nose.

"Eh, Trigger!" He called. The Shadow looked around and bounded over to the pack.

Mortimer was equally baffled, "Who's leaving their junk around?"

'I don't know... Maybe we should leave it.' Trigger murmured, not wanting to fall for any traps; however, Stitch was already pouring through the bag.

"Good boy." DiZ chuckled at the experiment.

"Look!" Stitch smiled, as he presented the cards, along with several potions, a glass bottle of water and a wrapped loaf of bread.

'Cards?' Trigger asked, taking the pieces and looking over each one's intricate design.

"Oh... I guess those would help." Mortimer laughed nervously, "That's how you get through each level of the castle."

'Then how did you expect us to get through without any?' Trigger asked Mortimer as though he were a child, despite staring upwards at the tall mouse.

"I'm sorry! I was a little distracted!" Mortimer nudged Trigger with his long shoe just as Lucinda moaned loudly, and DiZ got a look at her left arm as it dangled.

Her hand was turning a peculiar shade of green.

DiZ's stomach turned as he saw it, and finally, the girl slid off of Mortimer's back, revealing the large, now purplish bruise on her stomach and the multiple scrapes on her dirty skin. Her legs wobbled as she tried to stand on her own.

'Luce, look!' Trigger said, showing Lucinda the food and water, at which she smiled at.

"Yeah, but I don't know if we have time." Mortimer said, keeping Lucinda from falling to the ground, "Yeesh, kid, what's gotten into you?"

Lucinda was barely able to stand up. She leaned on Mortimer, her body quaking; finally Mortimer helped her to the ground before she passed out.

'Lucinda... your hand.' Trigger hissed, walking over to her and taking her fingers into his.

DiZ watched with an air of nostalgia as Trigger assessed Lucinda's injury. The small Shadow had changed, his air of 'little brother-hood' had morphed dramatically to that of protectiveness and loyalty.

"Trigger... you think-" Lucinda tried to ask something, but was unable to talk. Stitch ran over with a potion in his hand.

"Take this." He instructed, and Lucinda nodded, allowing Mortimer to tip the vial into her mouth. Trigger, in the meantime, pulled back Lucinda's sleeve and looked over her arm.

'...It's gotten worse. How could it get this bad in such a short amount of time?'

Lucinda got a good look at her arm and gingerly touched the place where the scientist, Vexen, had probed her arm. The skin was puckered and surrounded with a yellowish patch that stood out against the growing green. The most violent of shades resided among the elbow and the lacerations in her skin made by Ansem, which were blackened from clotted blood and, dare she say it, his Darkness. Mortimer himself looked green from staring at the appendage.

As the potion eased Lucinda's pain, she began to talk with better clarity.

"The man who told me that Riku was here; he took the bit of energy that Riku used to revive us..." She murmured, still embarrassed by the situation; Trigger listened in horror as she explained what they did to her, "They're planning on taking him back to the Darkness; so they took it-" She said, motioning her fingers as though they were ripping something from her arm, "-with some needle thing; the next thing I know, I can't move, can't breathe..."

Trigger was silent for a moment as he stared at Lucinda's face; her face was exactly the same as when the two were travelling with Sora and Company through the false worlds. Her pride had been damaged as she was unable to defend herself.

Finally, Trigger moved; his antennae folded back and his tiny claws clenched, 'If I see this man, I'll-'

"Another boy said he knew us."

Trigger's rant stopped.

"He looked a little older than us. He knew my name, as did the others. But I didn't remember them at all... just like _him_... I tried to ask them about him, they all said they were apprentices of Ansem, but Vexen said he didn't remember anyone by his description." Lucinda said, pulling her sleeve back down over her arm, her eyes darting about as she tried to think clearly.

Trigger tapped his foot, trying to make sense of all the jumble going on.

"Y'know what I like?" Mortimer suddenly asked, getting Lucinda and Trigger to look up at him, "Not being completely lost."

Trigger put his hands on his hips, 'Then thank your stars you hopefully won't have to deal with US for too long.'

Lucinda laughed until her eyes caught Stitch, who was sniffing at a wall.

"Stitch? What are you doing?" She called. The blue experiment looked back at her, appearing confused.

"I smelled someone." He said, his ears twitching. Trigger shrugged and looked back at Lucinda as she appeared a little more awake.

'Do you think what Vexen did is the reason why your arm is getting worse?' He asked. Lucinda nodded.

"I wouldn't deduce it."

Mortimer was quick to point out another injury, "I'm betting it's them scratch marks. They're reekin' with Darkness." He said as he helped the princess up to her feet. Lucinda looked at him as she thought it out.

"You're probably right. Those are from Ansem."

"Then we'd better get a move-on. The longer you're standing around, the more that arm is gonna get infected. And the quicker we find this buddy of yours, the quicker we find the Shrimp-King, and you get a one-way ticket to the castle and some doctors."

'You really think it'll be that easy?' Trigger asked skeptically. Mortimer shrugged.

"It'll be that easy if we get goin'. LET'S GO RAT BOY." Mortimer called out to Stitch as he continued to sniff at the wall, intent on finding what, or who, he'd detected.

**_XXXX_**

DiZ had closed the gate before Stitch could find him, yet he remained glued to the spot.

"Their memories are shot." He murmured as dark, painful memories surfaced, "And Lucinda... Riku needs to hurry; she needs help for her injuries, and fast."

**_XXXX_**

_I really don't have any excuses as for why this is not only incredibly overdue, but also why I don't keep up with this fic on a regular basis; I do apologize. Again, other stories have surfaced and, sadly, I haven't found myself to be the KH fan I used to be :C Many apologies; I still love the original game, but I'm not terribly crazy about the titles that follow it._

_Even though I don't work on this fic as much, Lucinda and Trigger are still very dear characters to me. At times I find myself wanting to continue this story, as well as sprucing up the original, but I tend to get sidetracked easily; if you're still reading and enjoying, thank you thank you!_

_Lucinda, Trigger, Bullet, 'Iris' (C) me_

_Everything else (C) Disney and/or Square Enix_


End file.
